Visions of the Future
by Nicola19
Summary: Sakura discovers she has the power to see an event before it happens. When she had a vision of Sasuke leaving she knows she has to do everything she can to prevent that from happening. SasSak, NaruHina, GaaraOC
1. Awakening Power

Alright. Here's chapter 1 of one of my two new fanfics. I went with Future Visions. Hopefully you enjoy this one.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

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Ch. 1: Awakening Power**

_She was standing in the classroom arguing with Ino. They both wanted Sasuke and were determined not to let anyone else have him. Then one of the girls bumped Naruto and his mouth collided with Sasuke's._

"Nooo!" Sakura jerked out of sleep and panted for breath. She looked around and let out a relieved breath. That had been one strange dream. Her eyes moved to her clock. "Oh no. I'm going to be late."

She jumped up, dressed as fast as she could, and raced out the door. Sakura blinked in surprise. Just like in the dream, she came out at the same time Ino did. The two stared at each other and then began walking down the street. Soon they were running, trying to beat the other to the classroom. They got there at the same time and In shouted, "Ha. I beat you." Sakura was too shocked to reply. The race had the same result as the one in the dream and Ino had shouted the exact same words. Sakura looked at the classroom to see that everyone was sitting in the exact same spot and doing the exact same thing she'd dreamed about. What in the world was going on?

Sakura shook the thoughts from her mind. It was all just a coincidence. That's right. A coincidence. Now that she'd settled that. Sakura raced over to Sasuke. "Good morning, Sasuke. Can I sit next to you?"

He looked up at her, but before he could answer, Naruto jumped up onto the table. The blonde demanded to know just what was so great about Sasuke. Sakura stared at him. Okay, this was getting freaky. This was exactly like her dream too. She saw the girl who'd bumped Naruto in her dream was standing right behind him. Sakura watched as the girl accidently hit him, sending Naruto falling forward. Sakura reached out and grabbed his jacket to stop his fall. Naruto's face stopped inches from Sasuke's. The two boys stared at each other in shock. Sakura yanked Naruto back.

"You should be more careful, Naruto," she told him. "That would have been disgusting."

She sat in the seat next to Sasuke. Naruto took the seat on her other side. Iruka-sensei began assigning them to teams. He called out Team 7 first. Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke. Sakura cheered. She was on Sasuke's team. She was on Sasuke's team. Sakura kept cheering that in her head just so she could hear the good news over and over again. She barely heard the only other team assignments. She was too busy being happy. And because she never got tired of saying it she'd say it again. She was on Sasuke's team.

Time seemed to slow down. Her eyes widened but she didn't see the other students. _In fact, she only saw herself, Naruto, and Sasuke. Naruto was standing in front of the door in anticipation. A man with silver hair stepped through the doorway. The eraser that had been placed between the door and wall fell onto his head._

Sakura shook her head and looked around. She was back in the classroom and everyone was heading out to lunch. She stood and made her way outside with the others. What was up with that weird dream? she wondered. Well, it couldn't have been a dream. She'd been wide awake. Unless she dreamed being assigned to Sasuke's team. Oh no, what if she did? Sakura stopped as dread ran through her. She looked around and saw him.

"Sasuke." She raced up to him.

He considered ignoring her, but the panic in her voice had him changing his mind. Sasuke turned to see what she wanted.

"Umm, I just wanted to be sure that I was on your team." Sakura rubbed the back of her head and tried not to be embarassed. "I've had a weird felling of deja vu all day and just wanted to be sure that everything was...well...real. Not some weird dream."

Sasuke frowned. That wasn't what he'd expected. He thought she was about to ask him to share lunch with her. Which he would have refused of course. Because she hadn't annoyed him by asking him to spend time with her, he answered her. "Yes. We're on the same team."

Sakura let out a relieved breath. "Okay. So I am just having weird dreams that just seem really real." She smiled. "Thank goodness that's out of the way. I was starting to think I was going crazy."

"Why?" Now why had he asked that? Sasuke wondered. It wasn't like he cared or anything.

Her eyes widened as if she'd just remembered he was standing right there. She waved her hands and her voice shook a little when she said, "Nothing. It's nothing. Sorry for bothering you."

Sasuke watched her for a moment then shrugged and walked off.

She was so busy trying to make sense of the strange dreams that she didn't notice him leave until he was gone. Sakura sighed. So much for eating lunch with him. Sakura wondered down the path and took a seat on a bench to eat her lunch. She was about to take a bite of rice when another one of those strange dreams came to her.

_Naruto, Sasuke, and herself were all sitting on a roof of one of the buildings. The silver haired man from the last dream sat in front of them. He was telling them to tell him about themselves. He demonstrated. The only useful thing she'd gotten from his example was his name, Kakashi Hatake. She listened as Naruto, then herself, then Sasuke followed his example. She wasn't surprised by Naruto's reply or her own. Actually, despite not being surprised, she found her reply somewhat ridiculous. Then Kakashi told them about the final test they would have to take. She was pulled out of the dream when he told them that if they didn't pass, they'd be sent back to the academy._

Sakura looked around. What in the world was happening to her? She never used to zone out like that. And why were complete strangers popping up in her dreams? She didn't even know who Kakashi was so why in the world was he showing up in her subconscious? She may never know. A bell rang and she jumped up. "Oh no. I'm going to be late." She ran back to class. By the time she reached the classroom she was panting. I made it, she thought to herself. She took her seat and waited with Naruto and Sasuke for their sensei to arrive. And waited. And waited. Other senseis came on time and got their teams. Theirs was late. He was the only one that was late. Even Iruka-sensei left.

That feeling of deja vu came back when Naruto placed the eraser in between the door and wall. She watched as their sensei walked in and to her shock. It was Kakashi. But...How? She'd never seen him before so how did he pop up in her dream. Her thoughts were jerked back to what was happening when she saw the eraser fall onto his head. Just like in her dream. 'Something really weird is happening here,' she thought.

"My first impression of this group," Kakashi said to them, "is that you're a bunch of idiots."

Sakura glared at him, but made no comment. She felt like an idiot right now. Her dreams were happening in real life. That just wasn't normal.

"We are not idiots," Naruto shouted as he heaved in and out in anger.

Kakashi ignored him and gestured for them to follow him. "Come with me." He led them to the roof and told them to sit. He sat across from them. "Now, why don't you introduce yourselves one at a time."

Sakura blinked and looked around. Sure enough, all of this was following her dream so far. She listened as Kakashi performed the example Naruto asked for. He said the exact same thing as he had in her dream. Which was nothing useful except his name. Naruto was next. Again, what he said was word for word as what he said in her dream. Sakura was frowning in confusion as she tried to figure out why her dreams were happening in real life. Maybe she wasn't dreaming these things. But, what other explanation was there?

She was so focused on her thoughts that she missed Kakashi asking for the next one. Then real life deviated from her dream. Sasuke went second. Still what he said was the same as the dream. Sakura looked at him then Kakashi.

"That leaves you," Kakashi said.

Sakura considered. She hadn't liked what she said in the dream. Not really. It was true enough but she seemed like an air-headed idiot. She also wondered if maybe she could change the events in real life from what was in the dream that may or may not be a dream. "My name is Sakura Haruno. I like to have fun and to read. My dreams for the future is to find whatever makes me happy in life..." She shook her head. "That's not right. I want to make someone else happy." Her eyes trailed over to Sasuke. That much she and the dream would agree.

"And, what do you hate?" Kakashi asked. His head was tilted in consideration. He'd admit, he was surprised by Sakura's response. He's expected her to be a little more girlie.

She thought about it. In the dream she had said Naruto without hesitation. That wasn't true. He was annoying, but she didn't hate him. "I hate to be confused."

Kakashi nodded and then continued to tell them about the upcoming test. Sakura was the only one not surprised. He'd said all this in her dream, and she was starting to realize that it wasn't really a dream. Whatever she saw would happen unless she actively did something to change it. Maybe. That or she was crazy. Maybe she was. Would she know if she was crazy? Or would she be blissfully unaware of it?

Sakura stood and made her way towards her home. What now? She wanted to pass the test. If only to stay with Sasuke. After all, she still had a crush on him. Dream or no dream. Sakura went straight to bed. She wanted to have plenty of time to rest before waking up early tomorrow. She changed into pjs and climbed into bed. Maybe she would dream something useful tonight.

_He was telling them about their tests. They wouldn't get lunch unless they got a bell. How in the world were they supposed to get a bell from a jonin? Not only that, she was starving. She hadn't even eaten dinner let alone breakfast. How was she supposed to fight when she was hungry? He tricked them. Telling them not to eat breakfast. Sakura jumped into the bushes when she Kakashi said go. She had to hide. Had to get a bell. Had to pass. Had to eat. What? Naruto wasn't hiding. The idiot. A frontal attack would never work. Sure enough it didn't. Now he was hanging from a tree. Sasuke attacked out of nowhere and the shuriken hit Kakashi. Time sped forward and she heard Kakashi yelling. "You failed because you forgot the most basic concept. Teamwork."_

Beep beep beep. Sakura jerked out of sleep with a gasp. Her alarm was going off. She reached over and shut it off. After a moment she climbed out of bed and got ready for the day. She almost left the house without eating like Kakashi had ordered. She made it as far as the door.

Sakura hesitated at the door. The dream was still fresh in her mind, and it had seemed so real. Just like the others. Instead of leaving, she turned and went back to the kitchen. She ate an apple and put three energy bars into the pouch at her waist. Now she was all set for the day. Sakura made her way to the training grounds. Sasuke and Naruto were already there. She smiled and waved.

"Good morning, guys," she greeted cheerfully.

Sasuke said nothing. Naruto returned the greeting around a yawn. The three of them sat and waited. And waited. And waited. Sakura was starting to get the impression that she would spend a lot of time waiting for their sensei to show up. Being late might just be a habit of Kakashi's. Just as she thought it, her vision went black and moments that seemed almost like memories began to play through her mind. In every one of them, she and Naruto were shouting at Kakashi for being late.

"Sakura."

She shook her head and looked up. Kakashi was there and all three boys were looking at her strangely. "What?"

"You weren't with us," Kakashi told her. There was a speculative look on his face. Something was going on with the pink-haired kunoichi, and he wanted to know what it was.

"Oh, sorry. I didn't realize I zoned out." She stood. "Okay, so what's the test."

She wasn't going to tell them anything, Kakashi realized. Oh well, she would eventually if things didn't change. He'd just have to be patient. He began telling them the rules for the test and the results in the failed or passed. When he mentioned lunch, Sakura was very glad she'd eaten the apple and brought energy bars. She'd sneak one to Sasuke, and okay, Naruto too. Later, when Kakashi wasn't looking.

"You can use any weapon. Anything goes," Kakashi told them.

"But isn't that dangerous?" Sakura asked.

"Especially considering you couldn't even dodge those erasers," Naruto said with a snicker.

Kakashi said something insulting abut Naruto and then turned away. Naruto responded in a typically Naruto fashion and started to attack Kakashi. Sakura didn't even see Kakashi move. One moment he was standing there, the next he had twisted Naruto's arm behind his head. She took a step back and prepared to move. If she remembered the dream correctly. Kakashi was about to say go. He did.

Everything followed the dream up to Naruto getting himself flung into the water. Sakura chose not to watch the rest. She knew what was coming. Instead, she searched for Sasuke. In her dream the shuriken he threw came from her left. She made her way around the edge carefully. She saw him in the tree and jumped up next to him. He looked at her with a frown. She almost didn't give him the energy bar just for that. Here she was trying to help and he glared at her. She pulled the energy bar out and offered it to him. He looked surprised but took it from her.

She turned her attention back to Naruto and Kakashi. Naruto had just seen the bell lying on the ground and was going for it. Sakura opened her mouth to warn him but it was too late. He grabbed it and was pulled into the trap. She shook her head. Kakashi came out of hiding and began to tell Naruto just what he'd done wrong. Sakura watched and then stepped to the side. Sasuke was about to throw the shuriken and he would need plenty of room. Sure enough. Just like in her dream. Sasuke saw a chance and attacked Kakashi. The Shuriken slammed into their sensei and then Kakashi poofed away.

Now I hadn't seen that coming, Sakura thought as she jumped out of the tree. It had been a substitution jutsu. Kakashi had faked letting his guard down to draw them out. Maybe I should have slept just a little longer, she thought as she looked around. Wait, where'd Sasuke go. She had to find him. Or maybe she should help Naruto. He was closer. Sakura looked over at the blond. She hesitated the pulled out a kunai and aimed for his rope. She threw it just when she heard someone whispering.

"Hey, Sakura. Behind you."

She spun around and saw Kakashi standing there. He held his hands together and leaves began to blow around her. Her world came unfocused for a moment and then it was back to normal. She looked around. Was this another dream? No. It wasn't the same. The dreams were more like memories. Whatever Kakashi did made things seem real and yet they weren't at the same time.

She looked over and saw that Naruto was gone. Either her kunai had hit its mark and cut the rope or he'd gotten down himself. Her eyes scanned the area. Looking for any clues. A bush rustled and someone called her name. She spun around and froze. Sasuke. He was dying. Her world began to go black. She shook herself. Breathe Sakura, she ordered herself. You can not pass out. Here eyes focused on the Sasuke. There was something wrong with this. With all of it. She just wasn't sure what. Sakura took a few tentative steps forward then stopped. No. This wasn't real. This wasn't even one of those strange dreams. Kakashi wouldn't hurt one of his students like this. She knew that. She wasn't sure how she did but she did. One thing Sakura never doubted was her knowledge.

"I don't know what's going on," she said loud enough that Kakashi would hear, "but I'm not falling for it."

Sakura turned and ran. She had to find Sasuke and prove to herself that it had really been an illusion of some sort. Illusion...that's it. Sakura grinned. Genjutsu. Mind manipulation. That meant Sasuke was still alive. He would be alright. Still. She had to find him. Just to be sure.

Hidden in the bushes, Kakashi grinned. Yup, she'd grown in the last day. He wasn't sure what had happened to her, but she was maturing rapidly. Oh well, they would still fail. She was the only one trying to act as a team and she couldn't do it alone. Maybe he'd let her pass. Maybe. Still she was too focused on Sasuke. Speaking of Sasuke. It was time to face off with the Uchiha.

Sakura kept running. She searched and searched but couldn't find Sasuke. She couldn't even find Naruto. In the dream from last night, they'd failed for not acting as a team. So far everything followed the events in the dream. If they were going to pass, they had to be a team. To be a team, she'd have convince them that teamwork was the best option. But before she could convince them, she'd have to find them. Sakura burst out into the clearing and slid to a stop.

Sasuke's head was laying on the ground. It said her name. Again, her world began to fade away. Sakura looked away quickly and made herself breath. When she had herself back under control, she turned back to Sasuke's head. Then she saw what was going on. He wasn't bodiless. The rest of him was just stuck in the ground. That she could handle. Sakura knelt next to him and formed earth style hand signs to loosen the ground around him.

Sasuke pulled himself out of the ground. Sakura didn't move. Her eyes became unfocused and she saw something else. _They were sitting at the poles and Kakashi stood in front of them with a smile. The three of them looked very happy and were cheering._

"Sakura?"

She looked up at Sasuke. "Huh?"

"You zoned out," he told her. "That's dangerous you know."

She frowned. "I did. I wish I could control that." Her voice took on a nervous edge. "I don't know what's going on. I'm scared."

"Of what?"

Before she could answer, the alarm Kakashi set for noon went off. Sasuke cursed. Sakura looked away and stood. They'd failed. She hadn't gotten to him and Naruto in time. So why were they so happy in that last dream? She would find out eventually. Sakura followed Sasuke to the three large posts in front of a large stone. Naruto was already tied to a post.

Kakashi began by telling them they weren't going back to the academy. Naruto cheered and Sasuke grinned. Sakura did nothing. Something wasn't right. Last night, her dream said they failed. So what was the catch? Kakashi told them that they were being dropped from the program. Sakura listened as Kakashi explained why. Sasuke attacked him and Kakashi easily subdued him. The explanation continued. He told both Sasuke and Naruto what they'd done wrong.

When Kakashi looked at Sakura, his eye softened for the first time. "You had it towards the end, and even helped Naruto. But you were still too focused on Sasuke."

Sakura looked down. He was right, but she couldn't help it. Some part of her always needed to help Sasuke. She couldn't control that anymore that she controlled when she zoned out. Kakashi stood and faced the stone and began to tell them about it. Sakura's heart squeezed in her chest. One day, their names could be on that stone. And how could Kakashi live with the pain of losing his friends like that? It had to be the worst thing in the world.

"I'll give you one more chance," Kakashi told them. "Eat lunch but Naruto doesn't get any."

Kakashi left them. Sasuke and Sakura began to eat. Naruto's stomach growled. Sasuke offered the blond his food. Sakura couldn't let him do that. He needed more food than she did.

"No, Sasuke. I'll give him mine." Sakura held the food up to Naruto who took the offered bite.

Kakashi appeared out of nowhere. "You broke the rules." He made hand gestures and storm clouds rolled in. The earth seemed to shake. "Any last words?"

Naruto's voice shook as he said, "But you said we were a team and that's why Sakura and Sasuke..." He trailed off as he lost the words.

"We're all on this squad and we're all in this together," Sasuke snapped out, filling in where Naruto left off.

Sakura sat up. "That's right. We fed Naruto because we are one team."

"That's right. That's right," Naruto shouted in agreement.

"The three of you are one. That's your excuse." Kakashi placed his hands on his hips and leaned forward. For a moment, they thought he was going to kill them. Then the sensei smiled and said, "You pass."

Sakura was wary of another trick. "What?"

"You pass."

"How did we do that?"

The clouds rolled away as Kakashi explained how they'd managed it. Sakura smiled and relaxed. They'd passed. They succeeded. She cheered. Now if only she could figure out these weird dreams.

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That's it for now. I'll get chapter 2 up as soon as possible. Don't forget to let me know what you think.


	2. A New Mission

Here it is. Chapter 2. I'm glad so many people liked this story. I'll get chapter 3 up as soon as possible. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: before I forget, which I would love to do by the way, I don't own Naruto.

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**Ch. 2: A New Mission  
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Sakura raised a hand and knocked on Kakashi's door. She wanted to talk to him about the dreams. Well, actually, she had to talk to him about them. They kept interfering with her missions. For the last few months, she'd been zoning out randomly. Naruto and Sasuke were getting annoyed with her for it. She couldn't blame them. What would happen if she was placed on a more dangerous mission and she zoned like that? She or someone else would die, that's what. She couldn't let that happen. So here she was, standing on Kakashi's doorstep. Maybe he'd know what to do. She couldn't think of anything else she could do.

The door opened and her sensei looked at her with confusion. "Sakura, what are you doing here? I gave you guys the day off."

"I know." She fidgeted. "I was hoping I could talk to you about something that's bothering me."

"Sure. We can talk in the kitchen."

He held the door open and let her in. Sakura stepped in and looked around curiously. There weren't any pictures hanging on the walls or sitting on the...Wait...Scratch that. She found one picture sitting on one of the tables. It was the one team 7 had taken together. She had that same picture on her nightstand. Sakura scanned the rest of the room. Kakashi had a large bookshelf stuffed full of books. A couch was pushed against one wall and a coffee table sat in front of it. The scuff marks on the table said it had been used as a footstool plenty of times. Her mother would have had a cow about that.

Kakashi led her into the kitchen which looked like any other kitchen really. He gestured for her to sit at the table. She obeyed and tried to think of the best way to tell him about her dreams. Now that she was here, she was afraid of what he'd say. Afraid he'd think she was crazy or couldn't go on missions anymore. She was brought out of her thoughts when something moved in front of her.

She looked up to see her sensei was sitting across from her. He was watching her expectantly. Sakura took a deep breath and began. "You noticed that I have a problem on missions."

He nodded. "Zoning. I believe both Naruto and Sasuke have been giving you a hard time about that."

Sakura nodded. "Yes. I don't know what to do, Kakashi-sensei. I can't control it. One moment everything is fine and I'm with you guys, the next I'm seeing something different."

"What do you see?"

"That's just it. It's never the same thing." Sakura raked annoyed fingers through her hair. "Whatever I see, happens later. It's always true. Sometimes, I can change it. Sometimes, I can't. I don't know what's happening to me, and it scares me sometimes. Recently, I've been having dark dreams. I'm crying and begging someone not to leave. Naruto is bleeding. I'm terrified of this happening." She was crying now. Whether from relief of finally talking to someone or fear of the dreams, she wasn't sure.

Kakashi sat back and considered what she'd told him. "I've heard of this."

"What is it?"

"It's called Foresight. A gift or curse depending on how you look at it." Kakashi stood and grabbed a tissue box for her. She took it gratefully. He continued. "What you call a dream is actually a vision. A rare talent. I've never known anyone with it."

"Then how do you know about it?" she asked.

"I've heard of it. Not seen it. It's more like a legend. Most people don't believe it really happens." Kakashi tilted his head. "The Hokage may know more about how to control it."

"I don't want to tell anyone else." She wiped her tears away. "What if they tell me I can't go on missions anymore? I have to. These recent visions are about our team and something is terribly wrong. I can't prevent them if I'm not there."

"I'll make sure you don't get kicked off the team," Kakashi told her. He knew he could do it. The Hokage trusted his judgment, and Kakashi didn't see Sakura's gift as a threat. All they'd have to do is be sure to protect her during one of the visions. Which led him the only thing he would insist on. "You have to tell Naruto and Sasuke though."

"What? Why?"

"You're helpless during these visions. They need to know to watch out for them and protect you." Kakashi's uncovered eye seemed to bore into her. "You do remember that we're a team right?"

She nodded. "Yes. You're right. I'm just afraid they'll think I'm weak or a burden."

"If they do then they're not good at teamwork either. Besides, anyone can see the advantage of having someone with your gift on their team." Kakashi smiled. "Things will be easier to handle if we know they're coming."

"I hadn't thought of that." Sakura smiled at him. "I'm glad I finally gathered the courage to talk to you. I feel less crazy already."

"I'm glad to help. Now, tomorrow, before we begin our missions, you will tell the other two. Alright?"

Sakura hesitated but only for a second. "Alright."

"Good. For my part, I'll talk with the Hokage and find out if he knows anything."

The next morning, Sakura stood on the bridge with Naruto and Sasuke. She was waiting for Kakashi before she told the boys anything. Without Kakashi there to back her up, they would only think she was crazy. Not something she wanted to hear. For once, Kakashi didn't keep her waiting. He was only an hour late. Sakura was too happy to see him to complain. Now she wouldn't sound crazy when she told Sasuke and Naruto.

"You ready, Sakura?" Kakashi asked her.

With a nod, she turned to her two teammates. "Umm, I have something to tell you guys." They both looked at her. She felt the nerves crawl through her. Now she knew what they meant when they said butterflies in the stomach. Only with her it was frogs and they were all jumping around together. "Turns out I have an ability no one else does. At least, no one Kakashi-sensei knows."

"The Hokage said that the last person he knew with foresight dies several years before you were born," Kakashi put in.

"Okay. Maybe I'm the only one that can do this. When I zone out, I'm having a vision of the future," she told them and then held her breath.

"So, you can see what's going to happen before it does?" Naruto asked her.

She nodded.

"That's so cool," he shouted with that goofy grin of his.

Sakura released her breath in whoosh and couldn't stop herself from smiling at him. Just like Naruto. She looked at Sasuke. He was watching her with something like...hurt. That couldn't be right. "What is it, Sasuke?"

"Why didn't you tell us?" he asked.

"I wasn't sure what was happening. At first, I thought they were just dreams, but then I realized anything I saw happened. Then I thought I was crazy." She looked away. "I was afraid you'd think I was crazy too."

Kakashi placed a hand on her shoulder. "The thing is, Sakura can't control when these visions come. When they do, she's helpless. Incapable of fighting or even moving during the time it takes for the vision to play out." He looked at Naruto and Sasuke as the implications sank in. "That leaves it to us to keep an eye on her. If the vision hits her in the middle of a fight, we have to either pull her out or protect her."

"How do we pull her out?" Sasuke asked, falling into the role of getting information. At least, that's what he told himself. It wasn't like he cared about her or anything. No. Not at all. It was just teamwork.

"Touch or calling her name," Kakashi replied. "It's like trying to wake someone who's asleep."

"Isn't there anyway to control them?" Sakura asked him. "Lord Hokage didn't know anything that could help?"

"I'm afraid not. Because foresight is so rare, no one's ever been able to figure out how it works." Kakashi looked at Naruto and Sasuke. "The way to tell when she'd having a vision is her eyes. They go unfocused and stare at nothing. She won't even blink. Actually, according what little information we have, she won't even move."

Sakura looked at the ground. Great. She couldn't keep the visions from coming or get them when she wanted. What good was this power again? It just turned her into a sitting duck during missions. She was a liability now. A burden. A weak link. Her world faded away and a moment passed through her mind's eye. _She stood in a forest with short hair. Strand of pink blew in the wind and fell tot he ground. It was up to her to protect her friends now. She wouldn't be weak anymore. Sakura could hear her thoughts echoing back through time. I always considered myself a true ninja, but those were just empty words. Because Naruto and Sasuke have always been in the lead. But now it's my turn to take the lead, and all of you can watch me from the background._

"Sakura."

Sakura came back and saw Kakashi's face in front of her. She smiled. "Sorry. It happened again."

"Was it anything important?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. I only got an impression. It was me. I was thinking to myself that I wouldn't be weak anymore. That now I could be strong." Sakura shook her head. "Silly huh?"

"I don't think so," Naruto disagreed with one of his rare serious faces. "Everyone wants to be strong. It's just different for everyone how strong they want to be. Or maybe even what kind of strength they want."

Most of the time, Naruto was the dumbest and most idiotic person on the face of the planet. Other times, like now, he could be incredibly wise. Sakura smiled at him. Grateful that someone understood. That it was okay for her to have these visions. She hoped Sasuke would be as accepting. It was his opinion that she feared the most. What if he saw her as a burden? What if he thought it was better that she stay out of the missions? She shook her head. If that was the case, she'd just have to change his mind. Yeah. That was it. How she'd do that, she had no idea but she would.

Finally, she looked up to meet his eyes. His face was expressionless as usual. She saw no contempt or annoyance. There wasn't anything to indicate what he thought at all. "Sasuke?"

Just when she thought he wasn't going to say anything, he said, "We're a team."

She felt like cheering. Everything was alright. They hadn't called her a burden. Sakura turned to Kakashi with a big smile and said, "So what's our mission today, Sensei?"

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They'd caught the cat without any trouble. Well, Naruto had a little trouble. The cat hated him instantly and scratched him up all it could. They took it back to the Hokage and waited to be assigned their next mission. The Hokage started to name off things that sounded more like chores than missions. Naruto wasn't going to do it.

"I'm a ninja now and I want a ninja mission," he shouted.

Eventually, the Hokage caved. "Alright. I'll give you a C-ranked mission. You'll be bodyguards..."

Whatever else he said didn't reach Sakura. Her mind had already gone elsewhere. _They came out of nowhere. The chains wrapped around Kakashi and tore him apart. Naruto froze when the enemy attacked him. Sasuke didn't. He saved Naruto. The enemy wasn't about to be deterred from their mission by a couple of brats. The enemy went after the the old man standing next to her. Sakura couldn't let them hurt the old man. She jumped in front of him with a kunai at the ready. They'd have to go through her. Then Sasuke was there. Blocking her from being hurt. The enemy surged up to use the metal claws on his hand to tear Sasuke apart. An arm snaked around the enemy's neck and jerked him back._

Sakura gasped for air as she came back to the real world. The first thing she noticed was that Sasuke was standing next to her. When had he gotten there? He'd been on the other side of Kakashi earlier. Must have moved during the vision. Then next thing she noted was he was holding her arm as if supporting her. She wondered about that and looked at him.

"You were about to fall."

"Apparently, long visions make your muscles relax," Kakashi commented.

Sakura looked around and realized everyone was watching her now. She wasn't sure if she was embarrassed or not. Sasuke released her and stepped away. Great. She had a huge crush on her and he only saw her as a teammate. An annoying one at that. This was just pathetic. She tried not to think about it anymore. It was just depressing.

Everyone moved on as if nothing had interrupted them. Sakura fidgeted a little with impatience. She needed to talk to Kakashi about what she saw. Absently, she looked at the door when the Hokage called in the man they were going to be protecting. A gasp escaped her. It was the old man from her vision. She really had to talk to Kakashi now. This meant that they were attacked during the mission.

The first thing the old man did was insult them, focusing on Naruto. Sakura glared at the man. So what if she thought Naruto was annoying. He was still her teammate and no one messed with her team. "Don't say that. You don't even know Naruto."

"And you're just a little girl," the old man said without hesitation, but she saw the approval of defending Naruto in his eyes.

She huffed and crossed her arms over her chest. "Maybe I should let the enemy get him," she muttered.

"Get your gear," Kakashi ordered them.

Their sensei turned and poofed away. His disappearance reminded her of the vision and she growled. That old man made her forget she needed to talk to Kakashi. Maybe she really should let him get killed. She started to stalk away then stopped. There was still Naruto and Sasuke. She should learn to trust them and tell them when she had an important vision. Sakura turned to tell them but Naruto was already gone. That left Sasuke. Well, he'd want to hear this even if he didn't like talking to her.

"Sasuke," she shouted.

He stopped and looked back.

She ran up and told him about what she'd seen. He frowned. "I bet Kakashi was the one that grabbed the ninja's neck. Maybe the enemy didn't really kill him. It just looked like they did."

"I hadn't thought of that," she replied, looking thoughtful. "I didn't see who was attached to the arm."

He frowned. "Naruto freezes?"

She nodded. "Fear. He's never had to deal with something like this. I froze for a little bit too. You were the only one of us that could react instantly."

"I've been through fear before," he said, so quietly she almost didn't hear him.

There was pain in his voice, and she wanted to know why. Sakura didn't push him to tell her more. Something told her he wouldn't. Instead she smiled at him and said, "I'm going to get my stuff. Meet you by the gate."

She rushed off to do just that. The team met by the gate. Sasuke took a moment to let Kakashi know about Sakura's vision. The jonin frowned. Without having seen the vision, he wasn't sure who the target was. Sakura wasn't trained enough to be able to tell him or even let him know of the subtleties that would have told him the answer. He'd just have to remain prepared for the attack.

They headed out of the village. Sakura couldn't help but feel a little excited. They were leaving the village on a real mission. She smiled and took in a deep breath. This was going to be great. She strolled along asking Kakashi questions about the shinobi villages and if the Land of Waves had any. She learned quite a bit while listening to Kakashi's answers.

They were hours outside the village by the time the attack came. Despite knowing it had been coming, everything happened just as it had in the vision. Naruto froze and was nearly killed. Sasuke jumped into action, saving the blond. The two enemies freed themselves of their chains and split up. One went after Naruto. The other, the bridge builder. Sakura jumped in between the bridge builder and the enemy. Sasuke turned and saw the enemy heading for Sakura. He didn't think. Didn't have time to analyze his motive. All knew knew or could think was he had to protect her at all costs. He moved fast and put himself between her and the enemy. Sakura felt helpless. She'd been so sure that if they knew it was coming. Things would have worked out. Then the arm snaked around the enemy's neck, yanking them back. Kakashi. He was alright.

"Thank goodness," she whispered. She reached out and tapped Sasuke's arm. He glanced back to see her smiling at him. "Thank you , Sasuke."

He shrugged. "We're a team."

Sakura wondered when he'd start calling them friends. She really wanted to be his friend. Her eyes moved to Naruto and she felt pity for him. His first real mission and he froze. A normal reaction but still embarrassing considering Sasuke was on their team. She listened as Kakashi told them that the attackers were chunin from Kirigakure. Then she zoned out.

_He was terrifying. They called him a Demon and they were right. There was nothing human about this jonin. He stood on that huge sword looking down at them with eyes that wanted blood. Their blood. Fear was a sticky taste in her mouth and clogged her throat. She tried to swallow around the lump it formed. Kakashi ordered them to stay back. He would handle this fight. She was more than happy to let him. The Demon jumped onto the water and shrouded the area in mist. They searched for him but didn't find him until he wanted them to. Chills ran up her spine when she heard his voice behind her._

Sakura blinked and looked around. Sasuke was watching her, but the others were looking at Kakashi. She smiled at Sasuke and tried to figure out what she'd missed. Sasuke stepped a little closer and whispered, "Kakashi told us that the chunin had been after the bridge builder and we're going to continue the mission."

She nodded. "Alright. Thanks."

He just turned back to Kakashi. The jonin gestured for them to continue moving out. She grabbed her back and followed after them. Hopefully, the demon in her vision didn't kill them all. She was very much afraid he would.

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That's the end of this chapter, but you're not done yet. Before you're finished with this chapter, you got to move your mouse down to the button that says 'review' and write something telling me what you thought of the chapter. Then you're done. ^_^. Until next time.


	3. A Terrifying Vision

This chapters all finished. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto blah blah blah...okay, on with the story.

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**Ch. 3: A Terrifying Vision**

They reached the Land of Waves and made their way to Tazuna's house. The bridge builder promised them a arm meal and everyone was looking forward to that. Naruto had to show off of course. He threw a kunai, scaring Sakura into thinking the Demon from her vision was attacking already. When she told Kakahsi about the vision, he'd seemed worried, and that caused her to worry. She hoped, even thought it was useless to, that the vision wouldn't come true. Sakura looked at the bush Naruto attacked and prayed.

A rabbit hopped out. She relaxed and released the breath she'd been holding. Then she got mad. Sakura stalked over to Naruto and hit him as hard as she could. He slammed face first into the ground. She placed her hands on her hips and said, "Naruto, you idiot. Don't..." She trailed off.

_The sword flew out of nowhere and nearly took their heads. The Demon landed on the handle. Her heart began to pound. She knew what was coming. The fight would take all their strength. She fight sped through her mind. Kakashi was thrown onto the water and caught in the prison jutsu._

Sakura was knocked out of the vision by Sasuke. He knocked her to the ground as a sword flew over their heads. Sakura looked up, knowing what she'd see there. The Demon looked down at them. Oh no. Kakashi was going to lose. She pushed herself to her feet and tried to think of a way to stop what was about to happen. Kakashi lifted his head band and she saw his left eye for the first time. It was different from his other eye. Red instead of black and had three tomoes in it. Sasuke explained what it was. The Sharingan. Zabuza jumped down to the water and thickened the mist around them.

She moved in front of the bridge builder with the others and waited. How did she tell Kakashi was was going to happen without also telling Zabuza. The next thing she knew, Zabuza was behind her and about to swing his sword. Kakashi knocked them all out of the way and stabbed him. A water clone. She knew that before Zabuza melted away. It had been in the vision. As was Kakashi being a water clone, which Zabuza discovered the hard way. Kakashi stood behind Zabuza and but a kunai to the demon's neck.

It was now. She had to tell him now. "Kakashi-sensei, look out. It's just another clone."

Kakashi looked at her, and another Zabuza came up behind Kakashi. No, it couldn't be too late. _Naruto stood up and told Sasuke he had a plan. They'd save Kakashi together. Zabuza had created more clones and sent it after Sasuke. Naruto created his clones and charged. Zabuza knocked them away with ease but Naruto wasn't finished. He threw something to Sasuke. A large shuriken. Sasuke smirked and threw it at Zabuza. The Demon caught it and nearly missed the second shuriken, barely jumping over it. Hope died as Sakura watched him dodge. Then the Shuriken poofed away and there was Naruto with a kunai. The blond threw it with all his strength forcing Zabuza to move his hand._

"Sakura come back," Sasuke shouted next to her.

She looked at him. "We'll win," she told him. "It's going to be okay."

He looked at Zabuza and almost didn't believe her. The demon of the mist had trapped Kakashi while Sakura had been in the middle of her vision. Their sensei was ordering them to run, but Sasuke knew that wasn't an option. They're only chance was to save Kakashi. He looked at Sakura. With all the odds against them, how could she believe they'd win? Then again, everything she'd seen so far had really happened. He stood and prepared to take her for her word. He'd fight and prove she was right. They'd be okay.

Zabuza deflected his attacks with ease. Naruto started to run, and Sakura was afraid she'd seen wrong. That couldn't be. Her visions were never wrong. Then she saw the change in the blond's eyes. Naruto stood and charged Zabuza's clone. The demon knocked him back without so much as batting an eyelash. Naruto stood and put his headband back on. Zabuza only laughed.

Zabuza raised the hand that wasn't holding the water prison. "By the time I was your age, these hands had already crushed many opponents."

It was then that they heard Zabuza's story. Sakura shuddered at what she heard. No wonder Zabuza was a demon. His village had raised him to be one. What kind of people were they to encourage that? She didn't like to believe that people could be so cruel but knew they were. Sometimes, people were just monsters.

The demon attacked Sasuke, and Sakura saw her vision begin to unfold. At last, she thought, they would finally get the upper hand. Once Kakashi was free, everything would work out. She didn't have to have a vision to know that. The same trick didn't work on jonin twice. She watched in anticipation as Naruto created his clones and piled onto Zabuza. She ddn't even flinch when Zabuza kocked the Naruto's away. The vision follow exactly as she'd seen it, ending with Zabuza pulling his hand loos from the water prison containing Kakashi. Zabuza was not happy. He twirled the shuriken around as he prepared to throw it at the falling Naruto. Sakura felt her throat close up. She hadn't see this. There was the sound of metal hitting metal. Kakashi had stopped the shuriken. Sakura released the breath she held.

Sakura moved to stand in front of the bridge builder, and help Sasuke defend their client. The two jonin jumped apart and their fight began anew. She watched Kakashi in amazement. He was incredible. Zabuza didn't know what was happening. One moment he had been in control of the fight, and the next, Kakashi had him on the run. The battle ended in a flood of water, slamming Zabuza into a tree. Kakashi pinned him there and prepared to kill him. Someone beat him to it.

Trowing needles hit Zabuza's neck and the demon fell. Everyone looked up and saw a young boy wearing a mask. Kakashi jumped down and checked Zabuza's pulse. He looked up at the masked boy. "He's dead."

The boy bowed, and explained himself. Sakura felt a vision coming on. _Kakashi sitting on a makeshift bed. They were sitting around him and he was telling them about tracker. Sakura could tell he was about to say something important._ Naruto interrupted the vision before found out what Kakashi was about to say. The blond slid in front of her and shouted, "A tracker. Watch out."

Sakura shook her head. Sometimes, Naruto's loudmouth was a pain. That vision could have been important, and she didn't know how to get it back. Her attention was brought back to what was happening when Naruto began shouting. It pissed him off that a kid his age was able to take down Zabuza like it was nothing. Sakura could sympathize. How pathetic they seemed compared to the tracker.

Kakashi calmed him down and said, "Let's get moving. We still have to get the bridge builder to his bridge."

The vision hit Sakura like a tone of bricks. _He was alive. Zabuza stood in front of them watching them with those terrifying eyes. Beside him stood the tracker ninja. The tracker was Zabuza's ally. They'd been tricked._

"Oh, no," Sakura whispered. It wasn't over yet.

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Sakura sat next to Kakashi. They were at Tazuna's house, and their sensei had just woken up. She'd already told Sasuke and Naruto that Zabuza wasn't dead. They'd agreed to keep the information to themselves until Kakashi woke up. There was no point in worrying Tazuna, since Kakashi was up in Sakura's vision. Now she told Kakashi what she'd seen. He sighed in resignation.

"I knew something wasn't right," Kakashi said. "That tracker ninja should have dealt with Zabuza's body immediately rather than taking it."

"So what do we do?" Naruto asked.

"Train." Kakashi sat up and looked at Tazuna. "Do you have any crutches?"

A little while later Team 7 was standing outside in the forest climbing trees. Sakura found the entire thing easy. Sasuke and Naruto weren't having an easy time of it. Finally, she reached her limits and sat. Naruto glared up at the tree and wondered over to her. To her surprise he asked for her help. She glanced over his shoulder at Sasuke. Again, she was surprised. He walked over to join them and simply asked, "How?"

This time Naruto looked surprised too. She smiled at them and told them the best way to climb the tree without hands. Shortly after that, Kakashi sent her to guard Tazuna. Sakura got her first look at Gato's affect on the village. Her heart went out to these people. Their lives were so miserable and their only hope was the bridge. It wasn't only the village. That evening, during dinner, she found out the worst thing Gato did was to Tazuna's family.

She'd noticed a picture with someone torn out of it. When she asked, Tazuna and his family seemed to stiffen. Inari walked out without a word. His mother followed him hoping to ease her son's pain. With a little pushing from Kakashi, Tazuna told them the story of Kaiza. It was inspiring at first. Kaiza seemed to know no fear and would do anything to help those he cared about. The story took a turnfor the worst when Gato showed up. Zakura could barely stand to listen as Tazuna told them of Kaiza's death and how Inari watched.

Sakura looked down at the ground. No wonder that little boy was always so sad. She would be too if she'd lost someone that important to her. The vision slipped in and showed her what she feared most. _He was leaving. She could sense it. Sasuke had grown distant and rebellious. Ever since Orochimaru bit him and placed that curse mark on him. He wasn't listening to them anymore and seemed determined to push them away. Now he was walking out. She begged him to stay. Even asked him to take her with him. Nothing reached him. The last thing she heard before her world went black was his voice behind her saying, "Sakura, thank you."_

Sakura came back to the world to find Sasuke kneeling in front of her. Behind him, Kakashi and Tazuna were watching her with concern. Naruto was gone. She blinked at Sasuke. "What is it? Why is everyone looking at me?"

"You're crying," he replied softly.

She reached up and touched her face in shock. Her fingers touched wet. He was right. Then again, that vision had been very heart breaking. Her eyes moved back to Sasuke. She wanted to tell him. To believe it would make a difference if she did. Maybe it would. Something told her that was just wishful thinking. Sasuke wanted to be strong and until she found out what pushed him to the the events in the vision, she had no choice but to just wait. She would change this vision. He would not leave her to join the enemy. Sakura didn't know who this Orochimaru was, but if he came for Sasuke, he'd better be ready for a fight.

Sakura smiled. "Sorry. I didn't mean to zone out on you guys." Trying to change the subject, she looked around. "Where's Naruto?"

"He left to train more," Kakashi replied.

"Okay." She stood and rushed out saying, "I'm going to get some fresh air."

Sasuke stood to go after her, but Kakashi placed a hand on his shoulder, stopping him. "Let me, Sasuke. You need to rest."

The Uchiha looked back at the door then his sensei. Finally, he nodded and sat back down. Kakashi made his way over to the door with a smile. Sasuke was finally becoming part of the team. Apparently having to protect Sakura during her visions was good for him. Who'd have thought? Kakashi found Sakura sitting on the porch outside. He sat next to her and waited. The jonin often found that if you just sat quietly, others would talk if only to fill in the silence.

"This foresight thing is a curse, Kakahsi-sensei," she said at last. "I can see somethings. Just enough to worry about them, but not enough o know how to stop it if I need to. I can't even tell when it's going to happen until the first event from the vision and sometimes that's too late."

"What did you see?" Kakashi asked her.

She shook her head. "It doesn't matter. I will stop it." Sakura looked up at him. "But I don't know how. You know I saw you get caught by Zabuza."

"Yes, you tried to warn me."

"That's just it. I saw it but I couldn't stop it." Tears of frustration made their way down her face. "What good is this ability if I can't change what I see? Think about it. I saw the chunin attack us on the way to the Land of Waves, but I couldn't change anything I saw. I saw Zabuza attack but I couldn't change anything then either. I mean, you were more prepared for the chunin, but..."

"I was more prepared for Zabuza as well. You told me you saw him attack us, so I knew who my opponent was." Kakashi leaned back. "Something, Sakura, are just meant to be. Look back. Do you think Naruto would have gained the confidence he needed if I hadn't gotten caught? Sasuke is more of a team player now because he has to be now. You need him and Naruto to work together because there are time you can't fight. The visions are helping."

"Sasuke left. In the vision I just had. He was leaving to join someone named Orochimaru." Sakura closer her eyes. She could still feel the pain and fear of her vision counterpart. "He was so determined. Nothing I said could change his mind. I knew, Kakashi-sensei, that something bad would happen if he left. The future me had a vision that something would happen but the me now doesn't know what it is." She chuckled a little. "Like him leaving isn't bad enough."

On the otherside of the door, Sasuke leaned back against the wall. So that's what set her off. He frowned. Who was this Orochimaru and why would he join him? Questions without answers. He'd get them. There was no way he could help Sakura unless he had these answers. A part of him wondered if those answers were what caused him to leave. Sasuke thought of Sakura's tears. Maybe he should think about this very carefully.

"Are you sure the man's name was Orochimaru?" Kakashi demanded.

Sakura nodded and looked up at him. "Yes. Why? Do you know him?"

"I know of him." Kakashi stood. "We'll figure it out, Sakura. Don't worry."

She nodded. "I'll just stay out here a little longer. The air is helping."

"Alright." Kakashi turned and headed for the door. Sasuke moved away from it. No point in letting them know he'd been eavesdropping. Kakashi looked at him when he came inside and said, "You should take what you just found out and think, Sasuke. Think very hard about who you want to be, because the answer to that just may save everyone from the after affects of the that vision."

Sasuke should have known Kakashi knew he'd been listening. He met his sensei's eyes and tried not to feel ashamed. Which was ridiculous. There was nothing to be ashamed of...yet. Sakura's vision was coming. They always did. So the problem was, did he want it to happen or not? He wouldn't know until he knew why there was a chance he would leave. Now he understood what frustrated Sakura so much. She knew what, but not the how and when. He didn't even have the visions and it frustrated him.

"Sasuke."

He looked over to see Sakura had come back in.

She looked concerned. "What's wrong? You look like your dog died or something."

"I'm fine. Let's get some sleep."

Sakura nodded and followed him towards the rooms. For the next several days, Naruto stayed out late training. One morning, they discovered he'd stayed out all night. Sasuke actually went to check on him. Sakura smiled. Maybe there was still hope. She could still keep him from leaving. All she had to do was prevent Orochimaru from doing whatever he did to Sasuke. Now if she could just have a vision of what that was, thing would be perfect.

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That's it for this chapter. I'll get the next on up asap. Don't forget t let me know what you think.


	4. A Team at Last

Here it is. The next chapter. This will be the last one that follows this closely to the show. Sakura's finally going to get a handle on her powers in the next chapter so she'll be a lot more sucessful about changing things. So don't worry.

Disclaimer: We all know I don't own Naruto so you really don't need me to say it, do you?

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Ch. 4: A Team at Last

They'd made it to the top. Naruto and Sasuke had finished their training. It had nearly killed them to do it, but that hadn't stopped them. The two of them came stumbling in, late for dinner, looking beat up but proud. Sakura smiled at them, and they laughed when Naruto cheered, knocking him and Sasuke to the ground. Dinner was served and they ate with good spirits, until Inari started shouting at Naruto. Something about the blond seemed to get under the kid's skin.

Naruto didn't really seemed bothered until Inari told him he didn't understand what it felt like to be treated like dirt. The blond looked up with a glare and practically growled when he said, "Listen to yourself whining and complaining like some sorry little victim. You can whimper all day for all I care. You're nothing but a coward."

"Naruto, that's too far," Sakura snapped out.

His anger didn't seem to cool any. He stood and stalked off. Inari stood and ran outside. Kakashi followed the kid out. Sakura stood by the door and was surprised when Sasuke joined her. They both listened as Kakashi told Inari about Naruto. Sakura felt something squeeze her heart. She looked up at Sasuke. "Why do we treat him like that, Sasuke? Naruto never did anything to deserve it but we act like he's beneath us. We always have. Why?"

Sasuke shrugged. He wasn't sure he knew why either. It just was. He looked down and finally sighed. "Maybe, we are a little hard on him."

"We're a team now," she said as she looked back outside. "In some ways, that makes us family. Can't we try to at least be friends. I mean, our lives depend on each other." She looked up at him with a half smile. "At least my life depends on you."

He looked at her. Sasuke knew she was right. It wouldn't be easy. He'd kept himself apart for so long he didn't remember how to be a friend anymore. Still he nodded. "I'll try."

"Let's start by making sure Naruto's okay. He seemed pretty upset," Sakura said as she made her way towards the stairs. She let out a sigh of relief when she heard Sasuke's steps behind her. He was going to try.

Naruto sat in the room they were sleeping in, staring out the window. Sakura knelt next to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. When he looked at her, she smiled and said, "Are you okay?"

His eyes widened in surprised as he nodded slowly.

"Good." She sat back and looked out the window. "Me and Sasuke agree that we haven't made a good team yet. I mean, we've scratched the surface but haven't made the jump to team yet."

Naruto frowned. He thought they'd made a pretty good team so far. "What have we been missing?"

"Friendship. Friends should be able to help each other without bruising each others' egos." Sakura looked at Naruto rather pointedly. He took Sasuke being better than him just a little too personally. "Naruto, we need to be able to lean on each other. To make fun of each other. Even get mad at each other, and everything still be okay. We can't right now."

He looked up at Sasuke who was looking at him. Sasuke released an annoyed sigh. "She's right, Naruto. We've been avoiding actually becoming a team because that would mean we're friends on some level. You and I have issues with that."

The blond had to admit that Sasuke was right. He looked at Sakura. "So, how do we fix it?"

"Let's take it in small steps," Sakura replied with a warm smile. "First, we agree that we're not competing against each other. Use each other to get stronger, sure. But let's not make it personal."

"I can do that," Naruto said with his goofy grin. "We'll get stronger together."

"Let's seal the deal then," the kunoichi said. Sakura nodded and put her hand out palm down. With that big grin still on his face, Naruto place his hand on top of hers. They looked up at Sasuke, who hesitated for a second before placing his hand on top. Sakura looked between the boys. "Consider this a three person handshake."

The boys nodded and they dropped their hands. Outside the door, Kakashi smiled. Looks like Sakura is becoming the glue for this team, he thought cheerfully. She'll hold them together because she had to stop her last vision at all costs. If that meant making Sasuke and Naruto give up their prides then so be it. Kakashi chuckled a little. Naruto and Sasuke may be stronger than her, but she was more stubborn. If those two boys didn't cooperate with her, they'd have to face her wrath, and Kakashi was willing to bet even Sasuke didn't want that.

The next morning, Naruto slept in. He's used up too much chakra and needed rest. Kakashi, Sakura, and Sasuke made their way to the bridge with Tazuna. When they got there, the area was shrouded in fog and the other bridge workers were lying on the ground unconscious. The fog thickened as Zabuza's voice greeted them.

"I see you still have those brats with you." They could hear the sneer in Zabuza's voice. "That one's still trembling."

Out of nowhere several Zabuza's surrounded them. Sasuke smirked ans said, "I'm trembling with excitement."

With Kakashi's permission, Sasuke easily destroyed the demon's water clones. Sakura stayed near Tazuna. The boy in the mask, Haku, made the first move. Sasuke prepared to block. Sakura moved in front of Tazuna and stood ready to defend. The sound of metal on metal seemed to echo as Sasuke blocked Haku's attack. Sakura listened as Haku explained his advantages. Haku performed the jutsu with one hand and thousands of needles filled the air. All of them were aimed at Sasuke. Sakura held her breath for a moment as the needles moved towards Sasuke. The Uchiha jumped up out of the air and landed behind Haku. With a well aimed blow he kicked Haku back several feet.

Since Kakashi felt like bragging about his students, he did. Zabuza ordered Haku to get on with the fight. Haku stood and his chakra began to freeze the air abount them. Mirrors of ice rose from the puddles that used to be Zabuza's water clones, creating a dome of mirrors around Sasuke. He was trapped. Kakashi frowned and ran to help the Uchiha but Zabuza got in the way. Sakura heard Sasuke cry out in pain. Now would be a good time for a vision that this will all turn out okay, she thought desperately.

Wait a minute, she thought with narrowed eyes. The visions should be fueled by my chakra just like everything else. So I should be able to control them. Sakura took a deep breath and calmed herself. Just like climbing the trees. Focus the chakra. Control it. What is it I want to see? How this battle ends. She kept that up in her mind, focusing all her mind and body into it. She felt something in her shift. It was almost as if she'd flipped some switch in her mind. The vision filled her mind and she saw what she asked for.

_Naruto and Sasuke were trapped in the dome. The fog was so thick she couldn't see anything. Somewhere, Kakashi fought Zabuza. She stood next to Tazuna., listening as the sounds of battle echoed around her. She wanted to help her teammates but what could she do? Someone had to protect Tazuna and since everyone else was busy, that left her. If only Naruto hadn't gone into the dome with Sasuke. Then they'd have a fighter on the outside and another inside. They'd have a better chance of winning. Time seemed to speed forward and she saw Sasuke's body lying motionless on the ground. Needles sticking out of him like he was a pincushion. Her heart squeezed in her chest. NO!_

She lost her focus when Sasuke let out a cry of pain. Her eyes snapped open. Damn it. What could she do? There had to be a way to stop Sasuke from dying. She looked down at the kunai that fell at her feet. Sasuke's kunai. Sakura picked it up and ran for the mirrors. With a careful jump and well placed aim, she threw the kunai into the dome. Haku caught it with ease. She stared in shock and hopelessness. No. Don't let this be something else I can't change, she begged. Out of nowhere, somethig hit Haku and knocked him out of the mirrors. She looked over and there was Naruto.

Kakashi shouted advice at them. One of them was to attack from the outside and the other from within the dome. Sakura knew Naruto would do the stupid and go inside with Sasuke. She racked forward and shouted, "Naruto, whatever you do, don't go inside the dome. Stay outside. Let Sasuke fight in, you fight out."

Naruto looked at her in confusion.

"Trust me. I saw it go bad when you went in. Stay outside the dome," she emphasized her previous order to the blond.

He nodded and turned back to the dome. Sasuke was standing and ready to begin. The two nodded at each other. Sasuke rushed towards the mirror ready to attack inside. Naruto braced himself and made a dash for the outside of the same mirror Sasuke went after. Sakura smiled, they could do it. Her hope switched to horror when Haku countered. In the blink of an eye, the masked boy threw needles at Sasuke to force him to stop and dodge. Seconds later just as Naruto was about to slam into the mirror, Haku grabbed Naruto's wrist and threw him into the dome.

"No," Sakura whispered. This couldn't be happening. Why? Why could she see what was coming and not change it. She shook her head. No. It wasn't too late. Sasuke and Naruto could still win. The future wasn't set in stone. It didn't matter what she saw. Sakura had to believe that. It was all that was keeping her going right then.

Zabuza and Kakashi began fighting at last. The copy ninja couldn't afford to let this keep going. He had to help Sasuke and Naruto. The fog thickened. Sakura couldn't see anything anymore. She could only hear as the battles raged on around her. Sakura took a deep breath and forced herself to remain calm. The future wasn't hear yet. And maybe he'd only been unconscious in the vision. He didn't have to be dead. She had to trust her team and do her own job.

"Tazuna, stay close to me," she ordered and pulled out a kunai. Sakura prayed that Naruto and Sasuke would be okay because that was all she could do. Even knowing what was coming, she couldn't stop it. Not without sacrificing Tazuna, and that wasn't really an option. If Sasuke gave his life to protect Tazuna, she wouldn't let it be in vain.

She closed her eyes and listened. Something moved behind her. Sakura moved fast and shoved Tazuna out of the way. Zabuza's sword moved right for her now. Sakura watched it come with surprising calm and acceptance. Then Kakashi was there and kept the sword from hitting her. Zabuza began to laugh and told them all that Sasuke and Naruto were already dead. The demon disappeared into the fog with a laugh.

Sakura felt rage burn in her. "No. Sasuke will be just fine. He'd beat that masked kid. No one is taking him from me." She glared into the fog. "Hear that, Zabuza? You're not taking Sasuke! Or Naruto!"

"Exactly," Kakashi agreed. She looked up at him with a smile. Kakashi braced himself and ran into the fog after Zabuza.

Sakura looked back towards the dome. Please, just this once, let my vision be wrong, she prayed silently. Out of nowhere, a new chakra surged to life. She'd never felt anything like it before. It was somehow menacing and bloodthirsty at the same time. What was going on? She stared into the fog as if it held all the answers. And in a way it did. Somewhere in this thick fog was Sasuke and Naruto. Were they okay? They had to be. She wouldn't...couldn't believe anything else. They had to be alright.

Somewhere, glass shattered. Shortly after that, the menacing chakra vanished without a trace. Somewhere she heard dogs howling and growling. Sakura noticed the mist was clearing. Figures began to form. She could tell that they were Zabuza and Kakahsi by the size but she didn't know which was which. One f them began to form an electric attack in his hand. Maybe that one was Kakashi. The hair style looked right from here. It was hard to be sure. One of them moved and charged at the other. She hoped the moving one was Kakashi. Just as he was about to strike, one of those mirrors jumped out of the ground and stabbed Haku took the hit for Zabuza.

Everyone could only stare in shock. Haku grabbed Kakashi's arm to hold him in place. Zabuza grabbed his sword and aimed for Kakashi. The copy ninja jumped out of the way and, when he looked back up, he seemed furious.

Sakura saw Naruto on the other side of Kakashi. She called to him and asked the question who's answer she feared the most. "You and Sasuke are alright?"

The look on Naruto's face said it all. Her heart squeezed in her chest. Her mind screamed in denial. Tazuna told her that he'd go with her to Sasuke. She could only manage a thank you and ran with the bridge builder right behind her. Despite the vision and Naruto's face, some part of her refused to believe that Sasuke could be dead...until she saw him. Sakura knelt at his side and touched his face. The vision filled her before she even knew it was coming.

_Sasuke opened his eyes slowly. She met his gaze and cried. He was alright. He was alive. Her heart soared. Sasuke was alive._

Sakura jerked out of the vision and stared at him with new hope. She moved her hand down to his neck and felt for his pulse. The steady thump against her fingers. A pulse. He was alive. She took his face in her hands as tears fell down her face. "Wake up. Please, Sasuke, open your eyes."

Slowly, his eyes cracked open and looked into her eyes. Sakura, he thought. She's crying for me? He met her eyes. Naruto's shout had Sakura jerking her head up. Naruto was shouting at Zabuza for letting Gato – and when did he get here with all those men? – kick Haku's body. Sakura listened to them and could understand Naruto's anger. Naruto didn't stop shoutting. He seemed determined to make Zabuza understand. It worked. Zabuza began to shed tears for the boy who's served him selflessly.

"What? Cat got your tongue?" Zabuza asked when Naruto said nothing. "Surprised to find I'm human? Even Shinobi are human. No mater how much we try to deny that fact, was always fail."

Zabuza ordered Naruto to give him a kunai. Naruto did knowing Zabuza would die. Sakura watched The Demon of the Mist jump into the fight and go straight for Gato. There was some satisfaction in watching him send Gato over the edge and into the ocean below. Sakura looked back at Sasuke with a smile.

"Fight over," she told him. "Everyone's okay, except for Haku and Zabuza." She looked a little sad. "I'm almost sorry for that. How painful it must be to realize what you had only after you lost it."

Sasuke sat up with a wince. Sakura helped him to his feet and shouted, "Naruto, Kakashi-sensei, Sasuke's alright."

Naruto looked thrilled. Kakashi let out a relieved breath. The group of men that Gato brought with him weren't going to leave empty handed. Just when they were about to attack, Inari and the villagers showed up to defend their town themselves. Both Kakashi and Naruto performed a shadow clone jutsu to add to the mercenaries fear. Gato's men ran and cheers ran through the villagers. The shinobi weren't cheering. Sakura watched as Kakashi helped Zabuza to Haku. All fell silent as Zabuza said his last words to Haku. Snow began to fall as if Haku was crying for Zabuza.

They buried Haku and Zabuza. Sakura said a pray for them. It seemed right. She stood and walked over to Sasuke. The boys were questioning the shinobi way. Neither of them wanted to be someone else's tools. IT was Naruto who said exactly what they were all thinking. "From now on, I'm finding my own way. I'm following the way of Naruto."

Sakura smiled. She took Naruto's hand and reached over and grabbed Sasuke's with her other. They both looked at her. Sakura said, "We'll all follow our way. Team 7's way."

"Right," Naruto agreed.

Sasuke nodded with a grin.

Kakashi smiled with pride. His team was coming together nicely.

* * *

All finished. Hoped you enjoyed.


	5. The First Exam

Here's the next chapter.

Disclaimer: I won't say it. No way no how. If you want a disclaimer so badly, look at another chapter. I know I put one in one of them.

Now on with the chapter.

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Ch. 5: The First Exam**

Sakura was staring at Kakashi in shock. He handed them the application forms for the chunin exams. Just yesterday they'd had a run in with genin from Sunagakure that were here for those exams. She couldn't believe Kakashi thought they were ready. Was she ready? Sakura wasn't so sure the answer was yes. Then again, Kakashi always seemed to know what he was doing. Why should this time be any different? She was stronger...a little anyway.

She'd been practicing control of her visions. Sakura had learned during their mission in the Land of Waves several months ago that she could have visions at will. She'd yet to stop them from coming but she could make them come. She'd also learned that what she saw wasn't always what it seemed. For example...during the fight with Zabuza, she thought she saw Sasuke's dead body in the vision, but he'd only been unconscious. Interpreting the visions would take time, but she was learning.

The kunoichi lifted the application and looked at ti again. Maybe she was ready for this. Naruto and Sasuke sure seemed excited about it. Well, Naruto was openly excited. Sasuke kept that to himself but it was still there in his eyes. If she was with them, everything would be alright.

Sakura waved to them and made her way to her house. She wanted to sit and think about this for a little bit...just to be sure of herself. There were still five days to think about it before she made the final choice.

Sakura was sitting on her balcony, staring up at the sky, when Sasuke called her. She turned and looked down at him with a smile. "Hey, Sasuke. What is it?"

"Let's take a walk just you and me."

She was immediately suspicious. Sasuke had lightened up over the last few months, but he still wasn't this...friendly?...no that wasn't the right word...romantic. Yeah, that was it. He was making this sound like a date with the 'just you and me' part. Nope. That wasn't like him at all. Still, she wouldn't know what was going on if she said no. Sakura jumped down and fell into step next to him.

For a while they were silent. She was watching him out of the corner of her eye, trying to see what he was thinking. Finally, she said, "So Sasuke, why did you want to walk with me suddenly?"

"To tell you not to participate in the exams," he replied calmly. "There's no way you can pass them, Sakura."

She looked at the ground. "I was afraid of that."

He turned to her. "These ninja will have very advanced skills and no mercy. If you fight, you could lose your life."

Sakura looked up at him quickly and smiled. "So this is all because you're worried about me."

Sasuke grinned a little. "I guess so."

An enemy shinobi attack and Sasuke moved to fight. Sakura watched as the enemy trapped Sasuke sending a rain of kunai down on the Uchiha. To satisfy the enemy, she took a moment to be all depressed. Once she was sure the shinobi believed the tears, she jerked up and said, "Ha. Like I would believe this genjutsu for a second."

"What?" the enemy snapped out.

She stood with a glare. "Sasuke is not like that. Even thought he cares about his teammates he'd never say it. Not only that, he wouldn't tell me I couldn't pass the exams. Kakashi taught us to be a team and that means we support each other." Sakura glared at the enemy. "You should learn more about the people you want to fool before using a genjutsu like that."

"Are you calling me an idiot?"

"No, because you're not really here. You're just an illusion." The enemy threw his umbrella at her to test how sure she was of that fact. Sakura calmly stepped forward with a smirk. The genjutsu ended and she looked around with a satisfied smile. She wouldn't recommend it for everyone but getting attacked like that actually did her some good. It had proven that she'd improved since she first became a genin. "Bring on the exams."

Five days later she walked up to the boys slowly. She smiled and said good morning. A part of her couldn't shake the image of Sasuke being killed. Sakura looked at the ground and tried to focus. That moment had been an illusion, she kept telling herself. Not real. Sasuke was fine.

"Sakura?"

She looked up and Sasuke. He was watching her with those dark eyes that seemed to see everything. Sakura sighed and told him about the genjutsu finishing the story with, "And I can't shake the image. Sorry."

Naruto grinned. "Don't worry, Sakura. We'll watch out for each other."

Sasuke nodded. "He's right. We're a team."

Sakura gave them both a warm smile. "A girl couldn't ask for better teammates. Let's go inside."

The three of them noticed the genjutsu right away. Even Naruto saw it, which said something for the observational skills of the other genin trying to get through the door. Sasuke glared at the two punks blocking the door. Sakura took his hand and said, "Let's ignore them, Sasuke. That's not the door we need anyway."

He nodded. "Fine." His eyes focused on the punks. "You should reverse the genjutsu. It's annoying."

"Illusion?" one of the boys blocking the door asked as if he didn't know what they were talking about.

Sakura smiled. "This is the second floor. Not the third."

The one with strips of white on his face grinned and said, "So you noticed the illusion." His eyes narrowed and he began to attack as he said, "Let's see how you deal with this."

Sasuke braced himself and began to counter attack. The boy in the green jumpsuit moved so fast no one saw what was happening until he'd blocked both Sasuke's and the white-stripe's kicks. Sasuke glared. He hated it when other people interfered with his fights. It had taken some getting used to just to begin letting Naruto help him.

Green Jumpsuit's team walked up to him and asked what he'd been thinking. Sakura heard them call him Lee and filed that away. It was always good to know who the competition was. She blinked when she saw he was looking right at her with a blush. Sakura had a bad feeling about this. He walked towards her and introduced himself. She blinked again and wondered what in the world was going on. He winked at her and asked her out.

She stared at him for about three seconds before saying, "No way." Sakura realized how mean she sounded about a second after the words left her mouth. To soften the rejection she added, "I don't know you and..." Her eyes trailed to Sasuke for a second then back to Lee. "...I'm in love with someone else."

Because all her attention was on Rock Lee, she didn't notice Sasuke's reaction. The Uchiha felt anger smoldering in him. The urge to just punch Lee until he forgot all about Sakura was almost to strong to resist. How dare that freak even look at Sakura like that? She was his damn it and no one else could have her...What in the world was he thinking? Sasuke shook his head. That had blind sided him. He was not only acting like a jealous boyfriend but he was being possessive.

Sasuke was still irritated when Lee's teammate asked for his name and was a bit rude when he replied. Naruto was feeling dejected because no one wanted to know his name. Sakura looked between them and sighed.

Hoping to diffuse the situation some, she smiled and said, "Hey, Naruto, Sasuke. Come one. Let's go." To make sure they did, she took their hands and led them down the halls. She was pleasantly surprised when Sasuke didn't pull away.

Team 7 made their way upstairs and towards room 301 to check in. They didn't make it very far before Rock Lee caught up to them and challenged Sasuke to a fight. Naruto had reached the limit of his patients. He was so tired of everyone ignoring him. With a yell, he charged Lee. Sakura and Sasuke were both surprised by how easily Lee knocked Naruto out. It wasn't like Naruto was a push over. Sakura knew that Sasuke wouldn't be able to resist the challenge now.

She'd been right. Sasuke attacked and Lee surprised them all again by dodging with ease. Rock Lee even managed to kick Sasuke in the face, sending him flying across the floor. Sasuke activated the sharingan and tried again. Sakura watched helplessly as Lee continued to keep control of the fight. Soon both fighters were in the air.

Out of nowhere, a pinwheel hit Lee's loosened bandages, pinning them to the wall. A turtle poofed into the room and ordered the fight to stop. Lee jumped to the ground in front of the turtle. Sasuke was still falling. Sakura ran across the floor and caught him the best she could. At least she kept his head from hitting the ground. It would have been bad if he'd gotten hurt just before the exams. She didn't notice anything else because the vision clouded her senses.

_She was in a classroom with 20 other genin. Sitting against the walls were all chunin with clipboards. In front of them, stood a terrifying looking man with scars on his face. He was grinning at them and told them the purpose of the exam._

"Sakura."

"What?" She looked up and saw that Sasuke was kneeling in front of her now. Sakura looked around. Lee was gone and so was the turtle. She looked up at Sasuke. "What happened?"

He explained about Guy and that Lee had left. Sasuke stood and helped her to her feet. He was still annoyed that he lost to Lee. How could that happen?

Naruto looked at Sasuke and said, "You saw his hands didn't you. When he took the bandages off." Naruto looked down at the ground. "I bet he trains every day until he drops."

Sasuke glared at him.

"He trains more than you," Naruto pointed out. "That's all I'm saying."

Sasuke clenched his fists for a moment. Naruto was right, damn it. He'd get stronger fast if he had the kind of determination Rock Lee obviously had. Sasuke smirked. It wasn't too late to change that. "Alright then. This is getting interesting. Let's go."

"Right," Sakura said with a smile.

Naruto grinned. "We'll beat them all."

They walked to the room to find Kakashi waiting for them. For the first time, he explained that, if Sakura had decided not to participate, Naruto and Sasuke couldn't have been able to go in. "But that doesn't matter now. You're all here." Kakashi smiled. "I'm proud of you. I couldn't have asked for a better team.

"We won't let you down, Kakashi-sensei," Sakura told him.

Naruto grinned. "We'll make sure you stay proud of us."

Sasuke nodded in agreement. For once, he didn't even think about arguing with Naruto. Kakashi had done a lot for all of them. The least they could do was make sure he could brag about them later.

The three of them went into room 301 together and froze. Sakura couldn't help but think how that after all those big words to Kakashi, they froze just walking in. A familiar voice shouting Sasuke's name reached them. Sakura turned to see Ino jump onto Sasuke's back. She forced herself to remain calm. Anger was just what Ino wanted. Despite that, Sakura felt her eye twitch just a little. Just to throw Ino off balance, Sakura smiled and even managed to make it look like a pleasant one.

"Hello, Ino," she greeted her one time friend.

Ino blinked in surprise then smirked. "Looks like they'll let anyone in these days if you're here billboard brow."

To everyone's, including his own, surprise. Sasuke looked over his shoulder with a glare. "Ino, get off me and don't insult my teammates."

Naruto grinned. It looked like Sasuke was finally getting the hang of teamwork. He looked at Ino as she took a few steps back, staring at Sasuke in shock. The look on her face was priceless as far as Naruto was concerned. He looked over at Sakura. Her face had just as much shock and a trace of happiness. In that moment, Naruto knew she was in love with the Uchiha. It wasn't just a crush. Sasuke's simple defense of her had made her the happiest person in the world at that moment. Naruto sighed and shook his head. He never stood a chance. Oh well. It just wasn't in him to get all depressed over it. He'd just have to make sure Sasuke didn't do anything to hurt Sakura. She was still his friend.

"Naruto, you're here too," a quiet voice said behind him.

He turned and gave Hinata a big grin. "Yup. Looks like we're all here."

Sakura looked over and saw the blush on Hinata's face when Naruto gave her his full attention. She smiled. Looks like Naruto had an admirer. Maybe she'd shove the blond in that direction a little bit. Naruto was too dense to figure it out on his own. She'd work on that after the exams.

"You guys might want to settle down a bit," a leaf genin with silver hair told them.

"Who are you?" Sakura asked him curiously.

"My name is Kabuto." He gave them a friendly smile. "You must be the rookies everyone has been talking about." Kabuto looked at each of them and shook his head. "You guys really don't know how things work, but else can be expected from a group of rookies."

"So you've taken the exams before?" Naruto asked.

"Actually, this is my seventh time." He rubbed the back of his head with a sheepish grin. "They're held twice a year so this is my fourth year."

"I knew this was going to be a drag," Shikamaru said with a groan.

Sakura actually agreed with him for a change. "The rumors about the exams being difficult are true."

"Don't worry, Sakura," Naruto said with a goofy grin. "We'll be just fine."

Sasuke nodded in agreement.

She smiled at them. They were really the best teammates ever. Kabuto shared a quite a bit more information with them. He was really very helpful. Things seemed to be going very well so far. Sakura actually began to relax. Then Naruto went overboard by shouting that they'd beat everyone. She couldn't help the small chuckle at such a Naruto-like action. He was an idiot sometimes. The sound nin really hadn't liked his opinion and decided to show everyone what they were made of by attacking Kabuto. At first, it seemed Kabuto had avoided any damage. Then his glasses broke and shortly afterwards he fell to his knees gasping for air.

Sakura was afraid things were about to get out of hand when a chunin popped into the room. She looked at him and frowned. He was the proctor from her vision. Her eyes widened as she realized she knew how to pass the exam with ease. She grabbed Naruto and Sasuke and quickly whispered so only they heard her say, "The key to this exam is cheating without getting caught. Okay."

They nodded and got in line to get a number. Everyone was seated and the the rules explained to them. Sasuke saw what Sakura meant as he listened. He would have figured it out eventually but it was good to have confirmation. Besides, Naruto would have never thought of it. He looked at their blond teammate. Hopefully, he could cheat without getting caught. Well, Sasuke had to give Naruto some credit. The blond's skills have improved since the Land of Waves mission.

Ibiki, their proctor, told them to begin and Sasuke got to work instantly. It was one of the longest hours of Naruto's life. He didn't have Sakura's brain or Sasuke's sharingan but he would pass this test. He just needed to find a way to cheat without getting caught. Then Hinata offered to let him see her paper. He considered and nodded. All he had to do was be very careful not to let the sentinels see him. Shouldn't be too difficult.

There were a few times, Naruto swore the sentinels were about to fail him as they called out number after number. He hoped Sasuke and Sakura were doing okay. Fifteen minutes before the exam was over. The proctor told them about the tenth question. Sakura winced. She'd forgotten to tell Naruto and Sasuke about this question, and it was too late now.

Naruto had the urge to give up. Could he really take a chance like this? This lasted for about five seconds before he growled at himself. 'What am I? A coward?' Out loud he snapped out, "Don't underestimate me. I don't quit and I don't run. You can act tough all you want. You guys aren't going to scare me off. No way. I don't care if I do get stuck as a genin for the rest of my life." He stood that that determined glare. "I'll still be hokage some day."

Ibiki looked at Naruto and said with a very serious face, "This decision could change your life. If there's any reason you don't want to take this question, leave now."

Naruto grinned. "No way. I don't go back on my word. That's the way of the ninja."

Sakura looked around and saw that Naruto's attitude was contagious. Everyone's backbone seemed to get just a little stronger at his words. For perhaps the first time, she believed he could be hokage. One day, people would follow him because Naruto was contagious and made people want to follow him. Sakura smiled at him. No one could say Naruto Uzumaki didn't have the guts to go after what he wanted without reservation.

Ibiki grinned and said, "Then all that's left is to tell you that you've all passed the first exam."

Everyone but Sakura was shocked. She smiled and sat back as Ibiki explained everything to them. Sakura knew things would only get harder from here, but for now, they could enjoy the moment. Team 7 had passed their first test.

_A shinobi with evil in his eyes and deadly intent broke free of the wires. With a smirk he introduced himself as Orochimaru and Sasuke had shown him promise. Sakura tried to move and help but the paralysis jutsu held her still. His neck lengthened and his head snaked its way to Sasuke. Fangs dripping with something sank into the Uchiha's neck. Sasuke cried out in pain._

Sakura jerked out of the vision and the sound of her chair falling back echoed in the room. She braced herself on the table and tried to catch her breath. Everyone was staring at her in shock but she ignored them. She had to get a hold of herself. The fear her future self experienced had been so strong it had affected her present self. Sakura knew, without a doubt, that the bite had been Sasuke's turning point. It would be what eventually convinced him to betray everyone and leave Konoha. She had to stop that at all cost. And she would just as soon as she stopped shaking.

Naruto and Sasuke were at her side in seconds. Both knew what had happened and that whatever she saw hadn't been good. Sakura looked at Sasuke and decided keeping him in the dark was not going to be a good idea. She couldn't change this future without him. She whispered to her teammates, "We have a problem."

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That's it for now. Please let me know what you think.


	6. Pride in Team 7

Here it is. Chapter 6. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: you know what goes here, so let's pretend I put it here, okay.

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Ch. 6: Pride in Team 7  
**

Sasuke looked at Sakura's pale face then at the classroom full of people staring at her. He took her hand and headed for the door with her. Sakura followed him without even a token protest. Naruto turned to Ibiki with a serious face and said, "Sorry, sir, but we need to take care of our teammate."

With that, Naruto rushed out to follow his team. He hoped Sakura was alright. Sasuke wasn't the only one that noticed how pale she'd been. She'd been shaking too. Whatever she'd seen would probably be something he'd be happier not knowing about. Well, that never stopped him before, and it wouldn't now. They'd deal with whatever came their way together.

He caught up to them outside. Sasuke had Sakura sitting on one of the stone benches. Much to Naruto's relief, the kunoichi was a little calmer now. Once Naruto joined them, Sakura told them about her vision. Both of them sat back and stared at nothing. Their minds working to find a solution to the problem.

Finally, Sasuke turned to her and asked, "Can you see more? We don't have enough information."

"I can try." Sakura closed her eyes and focused on the event she wanted to see. She frowned in concentration and images flashed through her mind but not a clear picture. A grass shinobi with long black hair. A large snake coming after them. Sasuke frozen with fear and Naruto fighting. Then nothing. Sakura opened her eyes. "I saw a few things that might help. They'll at least act as sign posts."

"What?" Naruto asked in confusion.

"Sign posts," Sakura repeated. "They'll tell us when the bite is about to happen so we can be more prepared."

"Oh...kinda like the warning signs people put up."

Sakura nodded. "Exactly." She told them about the flashes she'd seen. After a moment, she asked, "Should we tell Kakashi-sensei?"

Sasuke hesitated then nodded. "He's a part of our team."

"And he's stronger than us," Naruto put in. He looked at Sasuke. "You also matter to him a lot."

The Uchiha nodded in agreement. Sakura smiled. They all mattered to Kakashi-sensei. The jonin was their teacher, and in a way, that made him like a parent to each of them. He would help them in anyway he could. Sakura would feel so much better about everything if Kakashi knew. If anyone knew how to help them, it would be him.

"Let's find him right now," Sakura said and stood up to do just that.

Sasuke and Naruto nodded in agreement. They found Kakashi by the memorial stone, tracing a name with a sad look in his eyes. They stopped. It seemed almost wrong to interrupt the moment. Kakashi solved the problem by glancing back at them. "How did your first exam go?"

"We passed," Sakura told him and walked over to him. Her eyes moved over the stone and all the names engraved on it. "Why do you always come here, Sensei? Who's name on here to you mourn?"

"He was probably my best friend once," Kakashi replied sadly. His eyes moved to the stone and he sensed Naruto and Sasuke walk up behind him. "We were on the same team and trained by the fourth hokage."

"What was his name?" Sasuke asked curiously. It was strange to find Kakashi in a sharing mood. The jonin preferred to keep everything to himself. Somehow, it made Kakashi seemed more human to know that even he could act out of character now and then.

"Obito Uchiha."

Sasuke looked up in surprise. "Uchiha?"

Kakashi nodded. "He was killed saving my life. I come here to remind myself of my mistakes to be sure I never repeat them." The jonin looked at Sasuke. "Those mistakes have left me with regrets that I can never get rid of. Since I began training you three, I come here more often."

"Why?" Naruto asked.

"To make sure I could keep you from making the same mistakes." Kakashi looked back at the stone. "Sasuke especially since he's so much like I was then. Stubborn, naturally skilled, arrogant."

Sasuke looked at the stone and the names on it himself. One day his name could be there or Naruto's or even Sakura's. There could come a time when he would be the one standing here regretting the past. He thought about Sakura's visions and where they would lead. Sasuke hadn't forgotten the vision she'd had in the Land of Waves about him leaving. Could he leave knowing that one day he might be standing here looking at Team 7's names on this stone?

"Sakura had another vision," Sasuke told his sensei. "I want to stop it."

Kakashi looked at Sasuke and smiled. "Good. Tell me." After Sakura had given Kakashi every little detail of the vision. Their sensei said, "Orochimaru is here. This is not good."

"What do we do, sensei?" Naruto asked. "We can't let him bite Sasuke. Sakura said that would lead to Sasuke leaving."

"I don't think it would now even if he got bit," Kakashi replied, thoughtfully. "Sasuke is aware of what's coming and doesn't want it to happen. If the offer from the sound nin came now, he'd refuse it out of sheer stubbornness."

Sasuke smirked. Hard to argue with facts. He sensed that there was more. "But?"

"But, you still don't want to get bit," Kakashi said, his eyes focusing on Sasuke. "It's how Orochimaru gives what's called a curse mark. This mark will affect your chakra and how you respond to low levels of it. It could kill you."

"So what do we do?"

"I'll talk to the hokage. It's too late to stop the exams but precautions can be taken. You guys are not to fight Orochimaru. If you see the grass nin in any of the other exams, you run from him." Kakashi looked at each of them. "Understand? No heroics."

Sakura nodded in agreement immediately. The boys were a little slower about it. Running just seemed wrong to them, but Kakashi was right. The risk wasn't worth the fight. If they saw Orochimaru, they'd run for it.

They all went to Sasuke's home together. It seemed best that they stick together now that they knew there was a threat. Sasuke lived alone and had more food than Naruto, so his place was selected. Sakura made them some dinner and the three of them settled down for the night.

The next morning, the second exams were ready to begin. Everyone was given the rules and told to sign consent forms. After that, the scrolls were handed to each team as they turned in the forms. Team 7 waited at their gate for the go signal. When it came, they burst into the Forest of Death. Things seemed to be going just fine at first. A rain ninja tried to impersonate Naruto but failed. Sasuke sent him running with his tail between his legs. Sakura relaxed a little after that. Everything would be okay. They had a plan and were kicking butt. Sasuke already promised he wouldn't leave Konoha. She had nothing to worry about. Still, a corner of her mind kept an eye on Sasuke to be sure he didn't change his mind.

Sasuke was aware Sakura wasn't entirely sure of him yet. He was determined to prove to her and himself that everything would be alright. That they could stay a team and he would still get his revenge. He looked at her as she slept. It was his turn on guard duty and the other two were resting. Sakura was facing him and had a hand out in front of her as if she was reaching for him. He thought of the memorial stone and all those names. He thought of Naruto and the blond's dream. He thought of his clan. He thought of his brother. He thought of Kakashi. At last, he thought of Sakura. The decision was already made. As much as he wanted to avenge his clan and quickly, he wanted to stay here in Konoha with these people. It may not be the fastest way to strength and power, but that would be okay. Life was for the living. The dead could wait.

That worked out Sasuke woke Naruto for his turn and slept. Sakura woke him at dawn. It was time to search for the other scroll. The plan was simple. With Orochimaru out there, they'd stick together. When they found an enemy, they'd attack and take the scroll. Simple.

Unfortunately, the first group they ran into was the grass nins. The one they knew to be Orochimaru grinned and said, "So nice of you save us the trouble of looking for you."

Sasuke felt his nerve react almost instantly. No wonder Kakashi told them to run. This guy was terrifying. Speaking of which, they needed to get out of here. He turned and jumped back into the forest. The sound of feet behind him told him Sakura and Naruto followed him. Just to be sure, he glanced over his shoulder. Yup, that was them. He looked forward and hoped they could get away. Kakashi said they'd take precautions but Sasuke hadn't noticed any. Oh well, not his problem. Their problem was to escape the snake.

They seemed to run for hours before feeling it was safe to stop for a moment. Sasuke turned to Sakura. "What do you see now?"

She closed her eyes and focused. _Orochimaru was following them. They had to find safety quickly. Otherwise all their hard work would be useless. The three slid to a stop. Anko, the proctor, stood in front of them. She told them to keep going. They did and it was a few minutes before they realized Orochimaru had quit following them. Anko must have done something. They slid to a stop as sound nin confronted them. Sasuke and Naruto grinned._

"Alright. We're fine now." Sakura looked back. "At least, what I saw says we are."

"Good," Naruto grumbled. "I'm tired."

"We can't stop yet." Sakura stretched out tired muscles. All this running was getting to her now. "We can't stop running until after we run into Anko."

Naruto nodded and grinned. "You changed something, Sakura."

She paused for a moment as that sank in. She'd managed to alter the future at last. After all these times of trying and working for it, it finally worked. Sakura smiled at them. "I think I'm starting to get the hang of this ability." She looked back behind them. "We have to go."

They nodded and rushed off. Things happened just as she'd seen them and soon they were facing off with the sound nin. Sasuke and Naruto jumped into the fight without hesitation. Sakura stayed back and examined the fight. Occasionally she shouted out warnings and information they needed. Naruto managed to snatch the scroll from Dosu and grinned. It was the one they needed. Perfect.

Sakura smiled in triumph and then her world faded away as the vision took her. _She was hiding. Had to hide. Orochimaru had found them again just a few yards away from the tower. Sasuke and Naruto were worn out and the snake was preparing to take Sasuke. She wouldn't let him. With careful calculation, she ran out and shoved Sasuke out of the way when Orochimaru would have place the curse on him. Just to be sure she didn't get bit in his place. She fell with Sasuke. She rolled, taking his hand and pulling him behind her. Naruto forced himself to his feet. They had to run. They couldn't let Orochimaru get Sasuke. Even if it killed them, they would keep running. Orochimaru was right behind them. The tower in front. Almost there._

Sakura was jerked out of the vision by someone gripping her hair. No. She'd been so close to seeing how this would end. So close to knowing if they made it to the tower. The pain in her scalp had her wincing. She looked around and saw that the fight had stopped. Sasuke and Naruto stood motionless, looking at her in fear. Someone pulled her hair again. Sakura glanced over her shoulder and saw Kin, the female sound nin, behind her.

"If you two so much as twitch, the little girl here suffers for it," Kin informed Sasuke and Naruto. They stood still, both trying to think of a plan to save Sakura and still keep the scroll.

She cursed her vision's timing. If she hadn't been in the middle of a vision, she wouldn't have gotten caught like this. Why? Why was it that she was always the weak link? Even when they needed her to be strong, she couldn't be. No. She wouldn't be the weak link anymore. She wouldn't be the reason they failed this exam. Sakura pulled out a kunai and griped it tightly. There was one way to get out of this.

Kin chuckled when she saw the kunai. "That won't work on me, little girl."

Sakura looked up at Kin with a smirk. "It's not meant for you." She reached up and cut her own hair. Locks of pink fell to the ground along with Sakura's headband. She stood quickly and turned. With a hard punch, she rammed her fist into Kin's cheek, adding a small burst of chakra into her fist. Kin went flying across the ground. Sakura stood there, panting for air.

Sasuke and Naruto grinned and with a quick move, kicked Dosu and Zaku. The two sound nin had been too shocked by what Sakura did to react in time. Both hit trees and fell to the ground. The two leaf shinobi rushed over to Sakura. Sasuke reached up and touched a lock of her hair. "I'm sorry, Sakura. You shouldn't have had to do that."

She shook her head. "It doesn't matter. We do what we have to. Even me." She reached up and ran fingers through her hair. "I think I'll keep it short. It's too good a weapon for the enemy if I keep it long."

Naruto held up her head band. "You dropped this."

"Thanks." She put it back on and looked between the boys. "Alright. Let's go." She waited to tell them about the vision until they were far away from the sound nin. There was no point in staying near the enemy longer than necessary.

Sasuke sighed when he heard. Couldn't they ever get a break? "We'll just have to make sure we get to that tower before Orochimaru catches us."

"How would getting there safe us?" Naruto asked curiously.

"The tower will be filled with jonin and chunin," Sakura pointed out. "Orochimaru is working on some plan. He can't risk everything just to chase Sasuke into an area he knows will be infested with his enemy."

"Right," Naruto nodded. "Then let's take a rest here. We're all tired, and if we're tired when Orochimaru finds us outside the tower, we won't be able to run."

The other two nodded in agreement. Sasuke kept the first watch. He'd never actually been proud of being on Team 7 before. It had been something he had learned to live with and even enjoyed sometimes. But it hadn't been a source of pride. To him, Team 7 had always been made up of a loser and a annoying girl. For the first time he felt proud of this team. Naruto had grown a lot over the last few months. Sasuke hated to admit it but they made a perfect team. Now there was Sakura. Today she'd shown them both that she was just as strong as them and determined to save them all. Sasuke looked at her. Okay, so she wasn't so annoying anymore either. Naruto wasn't the only one that had grown. Sasuke settled back and watched over his team.

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That's it for now. Until next time


	7. Proof of Strength

I finally managed to finish this chapter. This pleases me and I hope it makes all of you happy too. Anyone who's been reading my other stories is aware that part of the slow going with updates is that I have a very difficult and heavy semester. Time is now a very precious commodity right now.

Disclaimer: you know what goes here so I'm not wasting my and more importantly your time with putting it here.

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Ch. 7: Proof of Strength**

They were as ready as they were ever going to be. Team 7 braced themselves and made a run for the tower. There were two days left on the time limit and they intended to beat it and have a few days to rest. If they made it past Orochimaru that is. The team had already agreed that if they didn't – if Orochimaru managed to place the curse mark on Sasuke – they'd talk to Kakashi and do whatever he thought was best. Even if their sensei told them to drop out of the exams. Hopefully, for the boys sakes, it wouldn't come to that.

All of them kept their senses open and ready for an attack. Orochimaru was going to attack. They knew this from Sakura's vision and still it caught them by surprise. The ground in front of them exploded. They jumped back to avoid any damage. When the smoke cleared, Orochimaru stood in front of them. He wasn't bothering with the disguise anymore so there was nothing to block what he was from them. A monster.

"Found you at last," he said in that almost silky voice. His eyes were focused on Sasuke. As far as he was concerned the other two were useless.

Sakura shuddered. It terrified her that something so horrible could sound so...so...not horrible. Anyone who hadn't seen what she'd seen could mistaken him for a good guy rather than the monster he was. Well, anyone who missed the look in his eyes. There was a trace of something inhuman in those gold snake's eyes.

"Now, I have a present for you, Sasuke." Orochimaru began to walk towards them.

"I don't want your present," Sasuke snapped out and stood his ground. Running wasn't an option now. They couldn't get away fast enough yet. Sakura would be the only one who knew when the time to run came because only she saw the vision.

"You won't lay a finger on him, freak," Naruto growled and Sakura saw something in the blond's eyes change. They turned red and the pupil looked like a cat's. "Not while I'm here."

"Then I'll just have to get rid of you, won't I," the snake said without any concern.

Naruto attacked. He wasn't going to just stand there and let Orochimaru kill them or get Sasuke. If he had to go down, it would be while fighting. Orochimaru knocked him aside with easy and turned his attention to Sasuke. He didn't notice that Sakura had moved away from the Uchiha. She was preparing for her opportunity to get them all away.

Sasuke took a fighting stance and prepared to attack. Behind Orochimaru, Naruto stood back up. The boys nodded to each other and made their move at the same time. Orochimaru held them off with ease. The snake was toying with them. They knew that but they weren't going to give up that easily. Sakura had told them that they got the chance to run. She didn't know if they got away, but at least they still had the chance.

Finally, Orochimaru seemed to get bored with the fight or he had found whatever he'd been looking for in the fight. He knocked Naruto and Sasuke into trees. Orochimaru's neck seemed to stretch out as he grinned at Sasuke. "You are a strong shinobi, Sasuke Uchiha, but you can be stronger. I can make you stronger."

Sasuke winced as he tried to move before Orochimaru could bite him. He was off balance and couldn't respond fast enough. Just as Orochimaru was about to bite Sasuke, Sakura shoved Sasuke and had a clone use the head-hunter jutsu on Orochimaru – a trick she'd learned from Kakashi after he used it on Sasuke during the test that made them genin. Since he'd ignored her as useless, she'd managed to get him with the jutsu without a fight. She knew it wouldn't stop Orochimaru, but it would slow him down long enough to give them a head start. Quickly, she grabbed Sasuke's hand and pulled him behind her. He got up and after a few stumbling steps, began to run with her. Naruto was already up and moving.

Now the hard part began. They ran with all they had in them. Sakura could hear Orochimaru behind them. They'd gotten the head start Sakura wanted. She could only hope it was enough to get them to the tower. They could see the doors a mile in front of them. That mile might as well have been a hundred. They were almost there. Sakura reached out to open the door. Sasuke didn't bother. He made hand signs as he ran for his fire jutsu. The fire exploded from him and smashed the door open. The three of them burst into the tower and through the door on the other end of the room.

Naruto slammed the door shut. They leaned on it together and waited. And waited. And waited. Finally, they let out a breath. He hadn't followed them. Sakura had been right. Orochimaru couldn't afford to be in the middle of a fight with the jonin and chunin within the tower just yet. Whatever he was planning was more important than his desire to place the curse mark on Sasuke.

"We made it," Sakura said as it sank in. She smiled and hugged Sasuke tightly as she cheered, "We did it."

Naruto pumped a fist into the air. "Yeah. We got away and everything is alright."

Sasuke leaned against the wall and let Sakura hug him. He even wrapped an arm around her as the fact that they'd escaped sank in. Then he wondered what plan was so important to Orochimaru that he would give up something he obviously wanted. It had to be one major deal for the snake and that worried Sasuke a little.

"Alright," Naruto said at last, "Let's finish this exam since we're here."

The other two nodded in agreement and made their way to the other side of the room. They still kept one eye behind them just in case they were wrong and Orochimaru was just waiting for them to let their guard down. Sakura read the writing on the wall and said, "I guess we open the scrolls now."

They did and Iruka appeared. He told them that they passed and told them about the writing on the wall. They could now move on to the next step in the chunin exams. Naruto suddenly developed the energy to run around and cheer. Sakura and Sasuke sat and wondered where in the world Naruto got that energy. Oh well. They'd made it through the second exam and prevented Sakura's vision from happening.

Later, they walked into a room provided for them to rest in. Kakashi appeared in a puff of smoke. It wasn't until she saw the jonin, that Sakura realized just how tense she'd been. The relief of seeing Kakashi and knowing for sure they were safe was so strong that she slid to the floor again.

Naruto and Sasuke were on either side of her in an instant asking if she was alright. Sakura smiled. "I'm fine. It's just...Now Kakashi is here so it really is safe."

The copy ninja crouched in front of Sakura. "You've grown a lot, Sakura. You should be proud."

"I'm just happy that I prevented the worst." She let out a breath. "Now are we safe?"

"I don't know," Kakashi replied. His eyes moved to Sasuke. "Orochimaru is many things but predictable isn't one of them. You'll have to be very careful, Sasuke. The sannin doesn't give up easily. We'll be relying heavily on Sakura's Foresight to keep prepared. You will carry the heaviest burden, Sasuke. Orochimaru will come after you if given a chance. Don't give it to him."

Sasuke nodded in agreement. He'd already figured that much out. At this point, there was no way he'd go anywhere there wasn't any jonins. He couldn't risk it. Not with Orochimaru as his enemy. Sasuke's eyes trailed to Sakura and Naruto. They both nodded in agreement. All they had to do was watch each other's backs.

For the next two days, they'd rest and let their injuries heal. Kakashi made certain that there was at least one jonin near them at all times. More if he could manage it. Frequently, he was one of the jonin. Finally, the time limit for the second exam ran out. All those that passed gathered in a large room with a statue on one end and a balcony as the upper floor. All the teams stood in the center facing the shinobi standing at the base of the statue. Sakura could see the hokage and all of the jonin trainers. Anko stood next to the hokage and told them all to be silent for the hokage to speak.

Sakura found the entire thing rather boring but listened anyway. Their next proctor, Hayate, told them that there would have to be a preliminary exam before the finals to shorten the number of candidates. Sakura glared. Each one of them worked hard to make it this far and now the higher ranking shinobi wanted to eliminate even more of them. Kabuto chose to drop out, saying he was too tired and injured to continue. Things got even worse when Sasuke's name came up for the first match.

"Sasuke, be careful," Sakura said as she placed a hand on his arm. "We're all still exhausted from the last exam."

He gave her a smirk that was so typical of him, she couldn't help but smile a little. "Don't worry, Sakura. I'll be fine."

"You better win," Naruto insisted.

"Naturally," the Uchiha agreed.

Sakura and Naruto made their way to the second level, where they would watch the match. At first, Sasuke seemed to be on the losing end. His opponent could absorb chakra from his enemy, which drained Sasuke considerably. The Uchiha was not about to give up. He had to prove to everyone and himself that he didn't need Orochimaru. As Sasuke tried to break free of his opponent's hold, he kept seeing moments from the second exam. Seeing Orochimaru for the first time and the fear that the snake brought with him. Sakura's efforts to keep him safe so he wouldn't leave. Naruto's strength and determination as they ran and fought together.

His eyes snapped open and the sharingan was active. No way would he lose now. They'd come too far for that. 'I'll prove to everyone that I don't need Orochimaru.' He kicked his enemy off of him and stood on shaky legs. 'I don't care what it takes. I will win.'

Naruto shouted something at him. Sasuke looked up briefly then saw Lee. That was it. With a plan ready, Sasuke took a fighting stance. With a well aimed kick, he knocked his opponent into the air. He jumped up and with yet more kicks, slammed his enemy into the ground. It was over and Sasuke had obviously won. Naruto and Sakura cheered. He smirked up at them and saw Lee's face. So he'd stolen a little of Lee's technique and incorporated it into his own style. Whatever worked...well almost whatever...obviously he had his limits or he'd just join Orochimaru. Still, he'd won.

Sasuke stumbled a little as he made his way back over to the upper level. Then Naruto was there, letting him lean on him just a little. Sakura greeted him with a warm smile as he approached her and Kakashi. His sensei simply placed a hand on his shoulder. Sasuke felt something in him loosen. It was finally okay. It didn't matter if he left to join Orochimaru or not. He could get strong right here, with this team. The win was proof that he could do it. And he would damn it.

The matches moved on and Team 7 watched carefully. They would end up fighting the winners of these matches in the finals. Shino won his fight with apparent easy. Personally, Sakura always found him sort of creepy, but no one could deny his skills. Next to here, she heard Guy's team talking about Shino in surprise. That's when everyone found out about the Aburame clan's specialty. So that was why Shino was so creepy. After Shino's battle, all eyes moved up to the screen to wait for the next match. Names scrolled over the screen until they landed on two. Sakura could feel Naruto's disappointment vibrate through the air.

The sand nin called Kankuro - the same one that had caused trouble for them before the exams - made his way down to the first level. Shortly after the next fight began. It was quick and held just as many surprises as Shino's fight.

Halfway through, Sakura's eyes met Ino's briefly by chance. The world faded away and Sakura was no longer on the second level. The vision showed her a battle between her an Ino, the girl who'd once been her only friend. The Sakura in the vision had come to a decision. She wanted to fight Ino with all she had to prove to herself that she was stronger than she'd been. Ino would just have to accept that.

"Sakura."

She jerked a little and looked at Kakashi. He pointed and her eyes trailed over to the screen. Her and Ino's names were displayed in bright green lights. So, it was time for her own fight. Sakura knew from the vision that it wouldn't be an easy one, but she would fight hard. But before she went down there, she had to know one thing.

"Sesnei?" Her eyes didn't leave the arena below. "Is is cheating to use Foresight for this? I've already had a vision of my battle so I know how to win."

Kakashi shook his head. "No. For you, Foresight is a tool, much like my sharingan or Shino's bugs. A shinobi uses every tool available to him or her with very few limitations. Those limits being if it would endanger your teammates."

Sakura nodded in agreement and made her way to the stairs.

"Sakura."

She looked back at Sasuke.

"Good luck."

Naruto nodded in agreement with that grin of his.

"Thanks," she told them.

Sakura met Ino on the first level. The tension in the air so thick she could barely breathe around it. At the signal, Sakura began without holding back. As expected, Ino started out by holding back. Well, Sakura knew how to fix that. A part of her felt bad for this. Ino had been her friend once. The blond girl had pulled her out of a dark place where she'd been all alone. Ino was more than just a rival. She was Sakura's first friend, and that changed everything.

A bittersweet smile formed on Sakura's face. She'd been so childish in her dealings with Ino. How did she not realize that? The beginning of their rivalry had been Sasuke, but that was a battle neither of them could win. Not as long as Sasuke didn't want to be won anyway. Yet they'd acted as if they could. Her eyes trailed up to Sasuke. He nodded in encouragement. She'd earned his friendship, but lost Ino's for it. She wouldn't take that back. Never would she give up Sasuke's friendship and respect. But still, she wanted to at least have Ino's respect. After this battle, she would have Ino's respect.

She taunted Ino until the blond's anger overrode her pity. Now the fight would get serious. Just to be sure Ino really understood, Sakura moved her headband to her forehead. She was pleased to see Ino really did understand when the blond moved her own headband. Now this fight would really get somewhere. She was right. The punches each had more force and their speed increased dramatically. With well aimed punches and perfectly timed chakra bursts, Sakura managed to match Ino's skill perfectly. This upset the blond kunoichi. Sakura conserved as much of her energy as possible, watching for the right moment. She'd seen how things turned out in her vision. Now all she had to do was alter one thing. Then everything would change.

Sakura said something to annoy Ino, so to prove Sakura wrong, Ino cut her hair. There was the first sign post. The second was when Ino formed a circle with her two hands. Sakura braced herself for what was coming. This would take perfect timing on her part or she'd lose. Just as Ino was about to cast her justu, Sakura ran to the right. Carefully, she made sure she was positioned just right. She felt the hair rope wrap around her ankles and grinned. Perfect. She quickly hid the smile.

Ino grinned up at Sakura. "You fell for it."

Sakura let her talk as she prepared for the next part. Ino prepared for the mind transfer jutsu yet again. The pink haired kunoichi looked up at her team for a second. Sasuke nodded in encouragement. Naruto shouted at her not to give up. Kakashi watched her to see what she would do next. They believed in her and she wasn't going to let them down.

She turned her full attention back to Ino and waited for the right moment. Ino cast the jutsu. Sakura jumped, pulling herself free of her shoes. She'd been very careful to make sure that Ino's hair touched nothing but her shoes. So with careful movements, she simply pulled her feet free of her shoes.

Ino's body slumped to the ground. Sakura grinned in triumph. That was all she needed. She walked over to Ino's body, and stopped. This was an exam, not a real fight. She couldn't hit Ino when she was like this. So she turned to the proctor. "It's obvious that I've won. Do I really have to knock her out?"

Hayate shook his head. "No. I'll call the match." He raised his hand. "And the winner is Sakura Haruno."

Sakura heard Naruto's cheers and found herself smiling. She'd won.

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That's it for now. I'll get the next chapter up asap.


	8. The Last of the Preliminaries

So sorry this has taken so long. I'm working on a story that's all my own creation and it's very time consuming. That and this is my last semester of school so there was a lot to do. But it's finished.

Disclaimer: If I didn't own Naruto at the beginning, then I don't own it now.

Enjoy.

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**Ch. 8: The Last of the Preliminaries**

The next few battles were uneventful really. Tenten lost to Temari, and Shikamaru won his battle, though in a very unconventional way. Sakura had to admit that Shikamaru was a brilliant shinobi when he actually tried at something rather than just being lazy. She hoped she never had to come up against that analytical mind of his. As smart as she was, she would probably lose.

The next battle was Naruto's which proved to be very interesting. To everyone's - except his team's - surprise, Naruto won his match against Kiba. Not only had he won, he'd actually won by using his brain. It wasn't a freak accident or anything like that. Naruto had planned and worked out strategy without anyone having to help him. No one could say he was still the same idiot he'd been when he first became a genin.

He came back up to the top where his team waited. Sakura hugged him as she cheered, "Congratulations, Naruto."

He grinned, "Thanks, Sakura."

"You look like the loser," Sasuke commented, but the grin on his face told Naruto that he was also congratulating him.

"You didn't look so pretty after your fight either."

The screen began to run through names again to decide the next match: Hinata vs Neji. There was something going on between the Hyuga cousins, Sakura thought as she watched them meet in the ring. The tension down there was so thick she was surprised they could breathe. When Naruto asked about it, Lee explained just what was going on between the two Hyugas. It was no wonder Hinata was so afraid of Neji. He was terrifying even if he wasn't the enemy. Sakura didn't want to think about what it would feel like to be on the receiving end of his byakugan.

Naruto didn't care who or what Neji was. He just found the Hyuga prodigy annoying and shouted at Hinata for letting Neji give her grief. With a growl he slammed a fist against the railing. "Come on, Hinata. Don't let him bully you like that."

Hinata looked up at him then down at the floor. Sakura saw the shy girl's spine stiffen and Hinata began to make hand signs. When she'd finished, her eyes met Neji's with her own byakugan. 'So,' Sakura thought, 'she's going to fight. Good.' Her eyes moved to Naruto. 'Naruto needs a strong girl to counter him when he gets too excited.'

The fight was brutal. Sakura wince with each blow and knew something had to give. Unfortunately it was Hinata. Neji landed on last blow, making Hinata cough up blood. The Hyuga prodigy didn't even look phased by his cousin's pain. 'How can he be so cold?' Sakura thought as she watched the ring. Her fingers tightened on the railing when the proctor started to call the match.

"No, she's not done yet," Naruto shouted. He would not let this Neji guy ruin all of Hinata's hard work. "Hinata, get up."

To everyone's surprise. She did. Her breaths came in short gasps and she was holding her stomach in agony, but she was up. Her eyes moved up to meet Naruto's briefly before focusing back on Neji. Hinata knew her cousin was in pain, but not because of anything she'd done to him. Why did he have to blame her? It wasn't her fault that things were the way they were in the clan. She couldn't even begin to change it until she became head of the family. Yet he made it seem like she was to blame. Because he had to blame someone. She told him exactly what she thought, deciding that this time she wouldn't hold her tongue. Let him hear the truth she was normally too nice to give him. With each word she said his eyes narrowed and anger filled him. Finally, he snapped and rushed towards her.

Sakura closed her eyes, unable to watch this. There was absolute silence for five humming seconds. She opened here eyes, risking a glance. Relief whooshed out of her in a breath. The jonin had stepped in and saved Hinata. Thank goodness. She released her grip on the railing and shook out stiff fingers. The relief was short lived as Hinata fell to the ground clutching her heart. Naruto raced over in concern. The medics took her away, and still no one spoke until she was gone.

"You shouldn't cheer so loudly," Neji informed Naruto in cold tones. "It's demeaning."

"And beating up your cousin isn't?" Sasuke snapped back, immediately defending the teammate he'd just learned to be proud of.

"I told her not to fight," Neji replied coldly. "She chose not to listen."

Naruto growled and raced towards Neji with one thing in mind. Making him pay. Sakura suddenly found herself plunging into another vision. She was in an outside arena. Crowds filled the stands and shouted as two genin fought below. Ino sat to her left and there was this sense of worry for Sasuke in herself. When she looked back at the two fighters, her breath hitched. Naruto was facing off with Neji Hyuga. It seemed to happen with in seconds as the fight played out. She watched as Naruto raced to attack while Neji spun releasing chakra at the same time.

"Sakura!"

She gasped for air as she resurfaced. Her eyes met Sasuke's and she frowned. "What happened?"

"You fell." He helped her to her feet but kept a hand on her arm. She didn't seem quite steady yet. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, it was just another one." She looked back down. Naruto was walking towards the stairs. His eyes burned with anger. "What happened down there?"

"Lee interrupted before Naruto could land the punch," Sasuke replied. "I looked up and saw that you were in the middle of a vision. Your muscles were beginning to relax, so I ran up to keep you from falling over the railing."

"Thanks." She kept her eyes on the small bit of blood on the ring floor. Hinata's blood. "Poor Hinata. She tried so hard."

"Naruto will get him," Sasuke told her. "He's already made the promise and you know how Naruto is. Now he won't quit until he's beaten Neji."

She nodded with a grin. "Yup. That's just like him."

Naruto joined them, his eyes unusually serious. "I hate Neji."

"Don't worry," Sakura said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "You'll get your chance at him during the finals. From what I saw, you give him a run for his money."

He met her eyes in surprise then realized it must have been a vision. "Did I win?"

Her grin widened. "Of course you did."

So she didn't see it in the vision but sometimes believing was enough. Besides, he needed to hear it. It wasn't like she was lying. She had full confidence in Naruto's ability to win. No one, except for perhaps Sasuke, could beat the blond.

The preliminaries continued through to Choji versus one of the last of the sound nin. Sakura glanced over to see one of the sand nin called Kankuro talking with Naruto. She frowned in confusion but was distracted when the names began moving across the screen again. Gaara vs Rock Lee. Sakura's heart thudded in her chest and she had a brief flash of a vision of Lee crawling away from a wave of sand coming his way. A sense of dread filled her as she saw how badly injured Lee was. She snapped out of the vision and found herself staring down at the match that had already begun.

"This is not going to end well," she whispered.

Sasuke glanced at her then back down at the ring. He had no doubt that she was right. There was something not right about Gaara. A movement near the doors caught his attention. He saw a girl with chestnut colored hair standing behind the doors, watching Gaara with worried eyes. He knew that look. It was the same one that Sakura gave him. The brunette looked around the rest of the room and met Sasuke's eyes briefly before returning her gaze to Gaara. (A/N: I know this is about Sasuke and Sakura, but Gaara's my favorite so I can't just leave him alone)

"It seems someone is worried about Gaara," Sasuke said to Sakura and Naruto, pointing towards the girl hidden behind the doors.

His teammates looked and frowned.

"She's not wearing a headband," Sakura pointed out.

"I wonder what she's worried about?" Naruto asked curiously.

Sakura started to say something when her vision went black. Lee was laying on the ground broken and unconscious as mounds of sand surrounded him. The sand raised up for an attack and someone screamed Gaara's name. Before she could see more, Sakura snapped out of the vision gasping, "Lee."

"Sakura?" Sasuke placed a hand on her shoulder. "What is it?"

"Where's Lee?" She looked around desperately.

"Down there." Naruto pointed. "It's his match against that creep from the sand village."

"No. He can't." Sakura shifted to stop the fight, but Sasuke grabbed her arm. She looked at him desperately. "We have to stop this."

Kakashi placed a hand on her head. "You know we can't."

"But..." Her eyes moved back to the ring where Lee and Gaara were facing off.

The fight began with Lee on the offensive. Sakura watched closely, looking for anything that would help her save Lee. When Lee took off the weights around his ankles, she began to think that maybe the vision has already been altered somehow. Her friend seemed to be doing alright on his own.

She was so focused on the fight that she ignored Kankuro coming over and all conversation around her about Lee's inability to use chakra. In fact, she ignored nearly everything around her until she saw a movement out of the corner of her eye and looked towards the doors. The girl Sasuke had noticed earlier had stepped forward, her eyes wide with fear. 'What is she afraid of?' Sakura wondered as she turned back to the fight.

Eventually, Lee released what he called the Hidden Lotus and injured his body. That was when the fight took a turn for the worse and Gaara started winning. For Lee, this meant a serious beating. The girl standing next to the door took another step forward as if this had been what she was afraid of all along.

The fight took yet another turn when Lee began opening what Kakashi called the chakra gates. Once they were open, Lee took control of the battle again, only to lose it again. Gaara had once again used his sand to save himself, and Lee had nothing left to fight with. Sakura couldn't watch this again. She squeezed her eyes shut, gripping the rail tightly. That didn't stop her from hearing everything, right down to the crushing of Lee's bones.

Someone screamed, "Gaara, Stop!"

Suddenly, all went silent.

Slowly, Sakura opened her eyes. The chestnut haired girl who'd been staring at Gaara was now in the doorway, her eyes locked on him. The sand Gaara had been using lay on the floor, motionless. Guy stood in between Gaara and Lee, looking determined. For several humming seconds, no one moved.

The girl stepped forward. "Gaara?"

Sakura realized that it had been that girl who'd ordered Gaara to stop. Just what had she missed while her eyes were closed? She's get the details out of Naruto later.

Then Gaara turned and walked towards the doors where the girl stood. She looked down as if in shame. He said something to her in a murmuring tone no one else could hear. The girl nodded, still looking at the ground. Finally, he turned towards the stairs, and she followed him up to the second level.

'Who is she?' Sakura wondered to herself.

"That girl seems very attached to Gaara," Sasuke commented out loud.

"She is," Kankuro replied. In a lower tone, he added, "She was supposed to wait in the room for us."

Everyone looked at him curiously, but he wasn't going to say anything more. Instead, he walked back over towards his team, leaving more questions than answers. Sakura turned her attention back to Gaara. He merely leaned against a wall staring at nothing. The girl was next to him, watching him out the corner of her eye. Watching them, her eyes glazed over again.

Sasuke was fighting Gaara and seemed to be winning. Suddenly, something seemed to change. Something else was coming. She could feel the menacing chakra coming from the orb of sand Gaara had surrounded himself with. Sasuke made one more attack using Kakashi's chidori. For a moment, everyone thought he'd won, but then Gaara let out a blood chilling cry of pain. People around her began to go to sleep for no apparent reason.

"Sakura?"

She jerked out of the vision to find that everyone was leaving the arena. Sasuke and Naruto were next to her, watching her carefully. She smiled at them, making a note that she had to talk to them and Kakashi as soon as possible. Something was going to go terribly wrong during Sasuke's battle with Gaara later.

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That's it. All done for now. I'll try not to take so long to get the next chapter up. Thanks for your patience. Please let me know what you think, and as usual, I am open to suggestions if anyone has one. No guarantees that I'll use it but I will consider it. Until next time.


	9. The Finals

**Here's the next chapter. It seems I really am over the writer's block. I'm not sure how far I'm taking this story. I think I'll end things shortly after killing off Orochimaru and not worrying too much about the Akatsuki...Like I said, not sure yet. Any opinions?**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

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**Ch. 9: The Finals Begin**

The preliminaries were finally over. Team 7 stepped outside with Kakashi to see what he would tell them next. Turning to them, he smiled. "I am very proud of all of you. Just months ago, you were still trying to grasp teamwork. Today, that was more important to you than becoming chunin. Know that win or lose in the final rounds, you've proven yourselves today."

Sakura beamed at him. "Thanks, Kakashi-sensei."

"What's the next step?" Sasuke asked him with his usual monotone. But, his eyes held pride.

"Yeah, what's next?" Naruto echoed with his goofy grin.

"Next, you'll be trained. Sasuke, I will take you." Turning to Naruto, Kakashi quickly explained, "I know you don't like this, Naruto, but someone else will have to train you. This person will help you with your chakra control which is your weakest point."

The blond grumbled for a moment but nodded. "Sasuke needs you because of the Orochimaru thing."

Kakashi nodded.

"Then it's fine," Naruto informed them all. Turning to Sasuke he ordered, "You better listen to Kakashi. We've come too far to let Orochimaru get to you now."

Sasuke nodded in agreement, his eyes moving to Sakura. Her hair was still short and he would never forget that moment she cut it. He'd even picked up the kunai she'd used after she'd dropped it on the ground. He hadn't even bothered pretending he was going to give it back. It would serve as a reminder of that moment, so that he would never forget what was important in life. He reached into his kunai pouch and felt the words he'd engraved on that kunai - _Team 7: Friends and Family._

Sakura smiled at him a little. So much had happened over the last few weeks, she hoped that this time between tests would give her a chance to absorb it all. Then it occurred to her. "Who will train me?"

Kakashi turned to her and smiled a little. "I want you to work under the medical nins in the hospital. Because of your ability to control your chakra, they will be able to teach you a lot."

She nodded. The medical nins were known for their chakra control and defensive abilities. Both were her strong points, so it made sense that she would learn from a medical nin. She remembered that her opponent for the final round was Dosu, the sound nin. Maybe the medical nins could help her find a way to neutralize his attack. Something to think about anyway.

"Good." Kakashi placed a hand on Sasuke's shoulder. "We should go now."

Sasuke nodded before turning to face Sakura and Naruto fully. "We'll see each other in a month then."

Sakura couldn't help it. She hugged him tightly. "Be careful, Sasuke. Please."

He hesitantly placed one arm around her, returning the hug. "I will."

She released him with a grateful smile.

"Get stronger, Sasuke," Naruto ordered his best friend, holding out a fist.

Sasuke tapped his own fist against Naruto's. "You too, Naruto."

With that, he turned and followed Kakashi out of the village. Sakura didn't go anywhere until they were out of sight. Turning to Naruto she gave him a determined look. "We have a lot of work to do."

He nodded with one of his rare serious looks. "Yes. We can't let Orochimaru take out friend."

"Our family," she corrected. "We are a family, right?"

Again, Naruto nodded, this time a little slowly. "Yeah. We are."

She smiled and gave him a hug. "Be careful while you train. I'll see you in a month."

With this the two of them went their separate ways. Sakura paused and took a deep breath. Focusing, she tried to see how Sasuke and Naruto would do during their training. She saw Sasuke standing in front of Kakashi gasping for breath as he focused his chakra into his arm. Lighting flashed as he did his best to control it. The vision shifted and she saw Naruto standing on a river in front of a man with long white hair. Naruto was dancing happily as if he'd just accomplished something amazing.

She opened her eyes with a smile. Everything would be okay for a little while. She could train in peace, reassured that her family would be okay.

* * *

The month passed quickly. Before Sakura knew it, it was the night before the finals. She was walking home to get a good nights sleep. Her first opponent would be Dosu, that idiot from the sound village. She'd need everything she had to beat him. Movement on a roof caught her attention. Glancing up, she saw the sand genin, Gaara, and that chestnut haired girl.

The girl was saying something to him that seemed important to her. Sakura caught the tail end of the sentence as she got closer. "...cruel and cold-blooded of your father to ask this of you."

"Let it go, Rei," he ordered coldly, sounding so much like Sasuke.

"But, Gaara," she was begging him. Pleading for something Sakura couldn't name. The girl looked away from him, her eyes gleaming with unshed tears. "...I just want you to...be happy. Whatever that means for you."

Rei walked away. Gaara didn't spare her a glance.

Sakura felt her heart go out to that girl. Not long ago, that was her begging for Sasuke. She continued to her home. It was obvious to her that the Rei girl was in love with Gaara. She hoped that things worked out there because Rei had looked so heartbroken and desperate. Since Sakura could sympathize, she made a note to talk to that girl later. Having an understanding listener always helped.

For now though, she needed sleep. Tomorrow was a big day.

She woke up early and climbed out of bed. Her green eyes landing on her calendar. It was finally time. She jumped up to raced off towards the ring. On the way, she caught sight of Naruto, and he was going the wrong way. Shaking her head, she ran after him, only to skid to a stop when she saw him talking to Hinata.

The shy Hyuga was saying something that had Naruto staring in shock. Sakura smiled knowingly. She really had to work on getting those two together. Hinata's calm shyness was a perfect match to offset Naruto's emotional outbursts. After Hinata finished talking, Naruto gave his usual grin before hurrying off towards the arena. Sakura decided now was the time to hurry him along. She ran over shouting, "Naruto, you idiot. What are you doing way out here?"

Grabbing his arm, she yanked him towards the arena. "If we don't hurry we'll be late."

"I know, Sakura. I know," he replied, stumbling after her.

They ran the entire way to the arena, skidding to a stop as they reached the small group waiting inside. Sakura doubled over to catch her breath, her eyes scanning for Sasuke. She frowned. He wasn't here. There was no way he would willingly miss this.

"Sasuke, would drag himself here on hands and knees," Naruto said, echoing her own thoughts. "So where is he?"

"I wish I knew," she whispered back.

They returned their focus to the front where the Hokage stood on a balcony. The old man stood up and began telling them all how they would start this round. The first match would be Naruto vs Neji. Everyone else was to make their way to the top. Before leaving with the others, Sakura placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder.

"I'd wish you luck, but you don't need it," she told him with all the confidence she had. She already knew he won after all. Not that she'd tell Naruto that. It might make him too confident.

He gave her a nervous grin. "You really think so?"

She nodded. "You and Sasuke are always better than everyone else. This Neji guy doesn't stand a chance." Sakura smiled for him, knowing he needed it. "Just don't give up. Otherwise how will you face Sasuke or even Hinata?"

His blue eyes seemed to burn with his usual determination. "I never give up."

"That's the spirit." She patted his shoulder then began to walk towards the stairs.

"You should fill him with false hope," Neji Hyuga told her as she walked by him.

Sakura glared at him. "There's no such thing as false hope."

"He can't win."

Now she gave him a knowing smile. "Maybe you're the one with false hope, Neji. Because if Naruto wins, it will prove you wrong, won't it."

She said nothing else to him. He probably didn't understand her statement but that was okay. He would soon enough. She stood next to Shikamaru. Slowly, she looked over at the boy called Gaara. She wanted to ask him about the girl, Rei. But, that was probably a bad idea. She looked at the crowd, her eyes searching. There she was. Rei was sitting near the jonin in charge of Gaara's team. What was his name again? Right, Baki. She had hoped to get the opportunity to talk with Rei.

She'd just have to wait a little longer. Her eyes turned back to the ring. Neji was talking to Naruto and with every word, Naruto became more and more angry. Not that making him angry was difficult. For such a happy guy, Naruto had one hell of a temper. She smiled a little. Actually, all his emotions were strong and bold. He never held back. Sasuke's complete opposite.

As the match wore on, she smiled, impressed with Naruto's growth. He really was very strong now. All that training with Kakashi, Sasuke, and that white haired man had paid off. That and his own determination never to give up. Now that she thought about it, that was his greatest strength. Naruto just didn't quit. If it killed him he could keep standing up, because that's all he knew to do. Keep going forward.

The proof was right there. Neji had blocked all his chakra points, but Naruto still stood back up. He still refused to believe he couldn't win. He even tried to summon his chakra again. To everyone's amazement, he succeeded.

"Show them Naruto," she whispered. "Show them all what you can do."

She didn't notice Gaara look at her with narrowed sea-foam eyes. There was something...familiar about the blond below, but he had no idea what it was. He turned his attention to the ring when he felt the strange chakra coming from Naruto Uzumaki. Something very familiar.

The fight ended with one big explosion between Naruto's chakra and Neji's. When the dust cleared, Neji was the one to stand up. Sakura frowned. No. Naruto wouldn't stay down. The ground beneath Neji burst open as Naruto came up with a right hook to Neji's chin.

Sakura felt the happiness swell. "You did it!"

Cheers erupted.

Sakura raced to meet Naruto on the stairs. She clobbered him in a tight hug. "You did it. You did it."

"Yeah. Thanks, Sakura," he said grinning still. He couldn't seem to stop grinning.

She stepped back. "Now all we have to do is worry about Sasuke."

He shook his head. "Don't forget. You're match is next." His eyes narrowed. "Against Dosu. The guy who beat Choji."

She nodded and grinned. "I know. Don't worry. I'll be alright."

Naruto remembered the confidence she'd had in him. So he grinned again. "I know. You'll beat him for sure."

"I better get moving." She turned to continue tot he arena.

Naruto nodded and hurried to the top so he could watch her fight. He hoped Sakura found a way to neutralize Dosu's sound waves, otherwise this would be a very difficult battle for her.

Sakura stepped into the arena. Dosu was there waiting. He didn't look any different than he had during the preliminaries. Bandages covered him from head to toe, and he wore the metal arm brace that would produce his attacks. She took a deep breath and focused her chakra. The medical nins had helped with her chakra control during her training. She wished she'd learned some medical ninjutsu, but hadn't had the time. There was a lot she had to learn before she'd be ready for that.

All this was beside the point. She had to remain focused or she'd lose this fight. Bracing herself, Sakura focused entirely on Dosu. He tilted a head as he watched her. His single visible eyes full of confidence. He probably thought she was still the same girl that had fought him in the forest during the second exam. Well, he was in for a big surprise.

"Ready, begin," the proctor called out as he jumped out of the way.

Dosu charged, swinging his arm. She dodged and everyone held their breath. They remembered that the sound nin's attacks didn't have to actually make contact to do damage. The sound waves coming from the metal thing on his arm would cause enough damage on their own. Everyone waited for Sakura to react to those waves.

Sakura didn't wait. The moment Dosu had let his guard down, thinking he'd gotten her with those sound waves, she slammed a fist into his gut and released a small burst of her chakra, just like the medics taught her. He flew backwards, slamming into the wall. She didn't hear the crowd cheer, or Naruto's shouting. Her eyes stayed trained on Dosu. He stood, dusted himself off. She saw his mouth move. Pointing at her ear, she shook her head.

His eyes widened as he realized she couldn't hear anything. Giving a smirk she'd learned from Sasuke, Sakura raced forward and punched him in the gut again. This fight was hers. He crumbled to his knees and gasped for breath. That small burst of chakra she was releasing with each punch was paying off after only two punches. He wouldn't be able to stand for a little while.

Just to make sure, she kicked him in the head to knock him unconscious. No point in taking chances. Sakura grinned as she fixed her hearing. The medical nins had showed her a way to manipulate her chakra to block off her ability to hear. Just what she'd needed for this match.

The crowd was cheering, but no one cheered louder than Naruto. She looked up and waved at him as the proctor called the match. This was real proof she'd improved. Now she could really say she was a ninja, and not just some little kid playing pretend. She couldn't wait to tell Sasuke. Her worried eyes moved back to Naruto. He nodded in understanding. She hoped Sasuke got back soon.

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**That's the end of this chapter. As usual, I'll get the next one up asap.**


	10. The Attack Begins

**Here we go. The next chapter. Yay. Anyway, I know there's some curiosity about the girl with Gaara, Rei, but there hasn't been a good opportunity to answer those question. Don't worry though. Some answers are coming in the next chapter. Just be patient a little longer.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. If I did, Sasuke wouldn't have been so stupid as to join Orochimaru (obviously since I rarely write a story where he did...only two I think. I'd have to check to be sure).**

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**Ch. 10: The Attack Begins**

The next match was supposed to be between Sasuke and Gaara, but since Sasuke wasn't there yet, the Kage's decided to delay the match a little longer. Which meant that Kankuro's match against Shino was up. To the surprise and disappointment of everyone, Kankuro chose to forfeit rather than fight.

"What is he up to?" Sakura wondered. "He didn't strike me as the quitting type."

"I don't know," Naruto replied, just as curious as she was.

The proctor nodded in acceptance as the crowd continued to complain. Temari apparently seemed irritated by the berating and flew down on her fan. She gave the proctor a cocky smile and said, "My turn then."

"Then I guess all we need is Shikamaru Nara," the proctor answered, looking up at the contestants.

Shikamaru wasn't quite eager to jump in the ring, but Naruto didn't give him much choice. With a loud laugh and encouragement, Naruto thumped the lazy ninja on the back, sending Shikamaru down to the ring. Despite his unwillingness to work, Shikamaru decided to take the fight seriously. He caused a bit of an upset by coming very close to winning only to forfeit. Even though he quit, everyone knew that Shikamaru was the winner in the ways that counted.

Of course, this only left one match. Sasuke vs Gaara. The problem. Sasuke still wasn't there. Sakura watched the counting clock. If it hit zero before Sasuke got back, Gaara won by default. Sasuke would hate that.

Just as the clock hit zero and she'd given up hope, the whirl of wind entered the arena. When it cleared, Kakashi and Sasuke stood back to back. Sakura cheered and raced down with Naruto to greet him. She raced past Shikamaru, who was still standing in the ring, and threw her arms around the Uchiha.

"Sasuke!"

"Oof," he grumbled, but kept his feet under him and didn't ask her to let go. Instead, he placed a very hesitant arm around her.

"You almost didn't make it," Naruto informed his teammate a little irritably. "What took you so long?"

"It was a long trip," Kakashi answered. He turned a sheepish expression to the proctor. "We aren't too late, are we?"

"You barely made it on time." The proctor shook his head in resignation. "Should have known you'd be late. We delayed the match twice for you two."

Sakura finally let Sasuke go and smiled up at him. "I'm so relieved to see you."

He smirked. "I wouldn't have missed this chance for anything."

"Will everyone but Sasuke leave," the proctor ordered, deciding he'd given them sufficient time to greet each other. His eyes moved up to the contestants. "And, Gaara, come down here for your match."

Sakura wished Sasuke luck one last time before turning to make her way up the stairs. Naruto was right behind her. Over his shoulder, the blond ordered, "Don't lose, Sasuke."

Sasuke merely nodded, his dark eyes burning with determination.

Naruto and Sakura began making their way up the stairs with Shikamaru right behind them. The lazy ninja was just now getting around to leaving the ring since his match had just finished moments ago. As they walked up the steps, they heard some chunin threatening Gaara on the stairs. Rather than responding to the threats, Gaara merely attacked them with his sand. The three leaf genin dove out of sight, not wanting to be one of Gaara's targets. Sakura swallowed hard as she listened to the chunin scream for mercy.

"Gaara?"

Sakura perked up a little. That had been Rei's voice. The girl that seemed to care about Gaara and he seemed to listen to her. Maybe this wouldn't end too badly for anyone.

"What are you doing here, Rei?" Gaara's voice would have been a monotone if not for the small hint of irritation.

"I got worried because you hadn't made it to the ring yet." Her voice was calm and unruffled by whatever was going on up there. "I guess they attacked you, or at least threatened to."

Sakura risked peeking at the scene. The two chunin were still wrapped in Gaara's sand. Rei stood next to Gaara, here eyes as calm as the rest of her. She didn't seem concerned with the whimpering chunin or the homicidal rage in Gaara's eyes.

The girl merely said, "You should probably put them down so that you can get to the ring. Wouldn't want to be late for your match with Sasuke." Her brown eyes drifted to the chunin wrapped in sand. "Besides, I think those chunin got the message not to mess with you again."

For a moment, everything was silent except for the whimpering. Finally, thuds echoed as the two chunin hit the ground. Gaara shot them a dark look that sent them running for cover.

"You should return to the stands," Gaara ordered Rei, his voice cold.

"I will." She hesitated, then added, "Gaara, be careful."

He said nothing more as he made his way down to the arena. Once Rei had walked away, the three leaf shinobi released the breath they'd been holding. Sakura stood wondering just what was wrong with Gaara. Suddenly, the world around her faded away and she found herself standing in a forest. Someone was fighting. She looked up and saw a huge sand monster fighting an enormous toad. Then she noticed someone standing on the toad's head. Naruto. A shout behind had her spinning. Sasuke was standing on a tree branch fighting with clawed hand made out of sand as if his life depended on it. Someone was trapped in that hand, but before she could see who it was, someone grabbed her shoulder.

"Sakura!"

Her eyes focused, and she realized she was back in the stairwell with Naruto and Shikamaru. Both of them were looking down at her with concern. She looked at Naruto. "I did it again, didn't I?"

He nodded. "Fell right over once it started."

"Something bad is going to happen, Naruto," she said, forcing herself to her feet. "We have to find Kakashi-sensei. Now."

They raced off with a very confused Shikamaru right behind them. It took what felt like hours to find Kakashi and by the time they did, someone in the ring was screaming in agony. Forgetting about everything but checking on Sasuke, Sakura spun to look at the arena below with a prayer ready. Sasuke was fine, but there was blood on the ground. Gaara's blood.

Then the dome of sand that was around Gaara melted away, leaving the two combatants in the ring. She felt something strange begin to happen then. Feathers seemed to fall out of the sky, and her eyes began to droop. Wait. This felt like a genjutsu. She placed her hands together and said, "Release."

She heard several thuds as several fell over in sleep, including Naruto and Shikamaru. All around, chunin and jonin, who recognized the genjutsu, stood. Their eyes scanned around, looking for an attack.

"Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked.

"I don't know yet." Kakashi looked just as ready as the rest of him. "Release Naruto and Shikamaru from the genjutsu. You and Naruto go to Sasuke. Shikamaru will take care of his own team then assist you."

Sakura nodded then ran over to wake the two genin.

Naruto came to slowly, his eyes blinking away sleep. "What..."

"I'll explain at the bottom," Sakura snapped out as she turned to Shikamaru. Something exploded above where the Hokage was. She didn't look. Couldn't look. There wasn't time. Instead, she focused on Shikamaru. His eyes twitched. She glowered. "Don't tell me you're awake, Shikamaru."

He didn't move.

Sakura smirked a little then punched him in the gut.

"Oof," he managed as the breath whooshed out of his lungs.

"Get up and help your teammates," Sakura ordered. "Then join out team down below."

With that order, she grabbed Naruto's hand and jerked him down towards Sasuke. The Uchiha was standing in the arena still, watching Gaara and the sand genin.

"Sasuke," Sakura called out as she and Naruto joined him. "Are you alright?"

He nodded without taking his eyes off of Gaara.

Naruto was looking around in confusion. "What is happening?"

Before anyone could say anything, a sand jonin appeared in front of them. With great timing, the proctor of the exam moved so that he stood between the leaf genin and the sand jonin.

The sand jonin barked orders at the three sand genin behind him. Just as they ran off, the girl called Rei came running into the arena. "Gaara! Wait!" Her angry eyes turned to the jonin. "What did you do, Baki? What is wrong with Gaara? Where are Temari and Kankuro taking him?"

"This is none of your concern, Rei," Baki replied dismissively. "You're just a civilian. Gaara shouldn't have brought you here."

Her eyes narrowed. "If what you're doing hurts Gaara so help me, I'll show you what a civilian is capable of."

The proctor said, "Team 7."

"What?" Naruto asked instantly.

"I hate to say it, but the exams are over. It's time to put your training to use." His eyes ever left Baki. "Go after those sand genin. Don't let them complete their mission."

Sasuke nodded. "Alright. Time to go to work guys."

"Right," Naruto agreed, ready for action. Then again, he always was ready.

"We're right beside you, Sasuke," Sakura told him with a smile.

The three raced towards the wall.

"Wait! Please."

Sakura paused and looked at Rei.

"Please, can I come? Gaara..." Rei hesitated then continued with determination burning in her eyes. "No one else cares about his well being. I have to know that he'll be okay."

Sakura looked at Sasuke and Naruto with a plea of her own. She could sympathize with this stranger. It was always hard knowing that you couldn't do enough for the one you loved. But, you couldn't stop trying anyway.

Naruto caved first because at heart he was a big softy. He turned and offered to carry Rei on his back. Smiling and thanking them, she accepted his offer.

Sasuke realized that he would have given in too because he couldn't deny Sakura, which sent him for a loop. Since when had that happened? When did he go from being able to tell her no, to knowing he never could now? Or at least rarely could? He shoved those thoughts away for the moment. Now was not the time.

The team raced off once again for their first A-ranked mission since the Land of Waves.

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**I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I'm working on the next one as we speak...well, right after this since I can't type on two things at once. Let me know what you thought.**


	11. Chasing Sand Genin

**All finished up with this chapter. Finally. I have absolutely nothing to say, so I'll just let you get to reading...after the disclaimer.**

**Disclaimer: If i didn't own Naruto during the last 10 chapters then I don't own it now.**

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**Ch. 11: Chasing Sand Genin**

They ran through the woods to catch up with the sand genin before it was too late. Running behind them told them that Shikamaru and his team had caught up with them. Shikamaru didn't look to happy but he never did when work was involved. They had a small dog that Sakura remembered seeing in the Land of Waves when Kakashi had used his dogs to track Zabuza in the fog.

"Who's the dog?" Naruto asked curiously, reminding Sakura that he never saw Kakashi's ninja dogs during the Land of Waves mission.

"My name is Pakkun," the dog answered. "One of Kakashi's ninja dogs. He sent me to help you track the sand genin."

"Who's the girl," Shikamaru asked, gesturing towards the girl Naruto was carrying.

"A civilian from Suna," Sakura answered. "She's hoping to help us with Gaara."

"Right, she's the one he actually listened to when those chunin attacked him," Shikamaru commented as the memory returned. "Rei right?"

Rei nodded. "Yes. Gaara is a friend and I don't like that the sand shinobi are using him as their weapon." Her brown eyes took on a sad look. "I just hope we aren't too late."

"How far ahead are those sand genin?" Ino asked.

"A few miles," the dog replied as he moved to the front of the group.

Shikamaru suddenly called a halt.

"What is it?" Sakura asked.

"Someone is chasing us," Pakkun said suddenly, glancing back over his shoulder. His nose twitched a little. "I count nine ninja. Probably working for Orochimaru."

"What do we do?" Sakura asked hesitantly, her mind racing through the possibilities. "An ambush?"

Shikamaru shook his head. "That won't work in this case." At everyone's questioning look, he explained the rules of a successful ambush. "...And because Orochimaru probably taught them the lay of the land, we don't really have the advantage we need."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed with thought. "Then there's only one option."

Shikamaru nodded in agreement. "Exactly."

"But who?"

"Me and my team," the lazy ninja replied with a sigh. "My shadow possession jutsu was designed for this situation. And my team will allow me to get out of the situation alive."

The Uchiha nodded in agreement. "Alright then. Be careful."

"Uhhh, what's going on?" Naruto asked, failing to see what the two geniuses were talking about. Everyone else nodded in agreement, because for once it wasn't just Naruto that didn't understand.

"One of us has to stay behind as a diversion," Sasuke explained. "Shikamaru and his team will do it."

Ino smirked. "You can count on us. We'll have Shika's back."

Sakura grinned. "Of course. It's not like you would ever let anything happen to Shikamaru."

To Sakura's delight, Ino blushed a little as she said defensively, "Of course I wouldn't. He's my best friend and teammate."

"Naturally," Sakura agreed, still grinning. "Why else would you protect him?"

Before Ino could answer, Shikamaru said, "Enough already. We'll deal with Ino's crush on me later. Right now we have to deal with the sound ninja behind us."

Ino's face was as red as a tomato, but she still managed to glower at Shikamaru. "Don't be so conceited. I do not have a crush on you."

He merely rolled his eyes and gestured for her and Choji to follow him. Shikamaru was aware that Ino had slowly begun seeing him as more than a friend since they'd become a team, but he wasn't going to jinx the process by arguing with her about it now. In a few more years she wouldn't be able to deny her feelings for him, so he'd have his way eventually. And he was a very patient shinobi, which meant waiting was not going to be a problem for him.

"Let's get going," he ordered them as he turned and heading away from Team 7.

Sakura had originally been joking with Ino about the Shikamaru thing, but she still couldn't help but feel a little relieved at Ino's reaction. It meant the head strong blond wasn't crushing on Sasuke anymore. Sighing with relief, Sakura glanced at Sasuke. He and Naruto were just in front of her now. Their eyes hard with determination. A thought struck her and she felt a little sad.

"Maybe I should stay back," she said, making both boys and even Rei look back at her. "I'm not as skilled as either of you, so I'll only get in the way. I don't want you to get hurt because of me."

"You never get in the way," Sasuke told her.

"Yeah," Naruto agreed with his trademark grin. "I mean, just knowledge that we have to protect you keeps us going even when everyone else would have quit."

"You're also the one that holds this team together," Sasuke informed her, his voice carefully blank. "If not for you, I would have..."

He couldn't finish that sentence. It was too hard to acknowledge that he had once been the kind of person who could abandon everything. That if not for Sakura's efforts, he would join Orochimaru in a few weeks when given the opportunity. Something that he now found so repulsive that he couldn't even speak it.

"You are the heart of this team," Naruto said so that Sasuke could think of something else. "We will always need you around, no matter what."

She smiled and nodded. "Let's hurry."

They nearly got held up by Kankuro, but Shino showed up and took over the fight. As they continued, Rei gripped Naruto's shirt harder. "We have to hurry. Gaara is...We can't be late."

"What exactly happens if we're late?" Sakura asked her curiously.

"Gaara won't be there anymore, and in his place..." Rei trailed off as a tear slid down her face. "...in his place there'll be a monster. My village calls if a tailed-beast. Gaara is it's host, making him a jinchuriki. If Gaara released that beast from within, which is what I think our village intended for him to do today, he'll lose control and the beast will be the one we face."

Sakura noticed that Naruto's eyes had narrowed and there was something in them that she hadn't seen before. A kind of understanding and hatred. "Naruto?"

He grinned but that anger still burned in his eyes. "I just know what life must be like for Gaara. I bet his village shuns him and that he feels all alone. It's probably why he is the way he is."

Rei nodded. "Yes. I am his only friend in our entire village. Even his siblings fear him." Her grip was so tight now that Naruto had to ask her to loosen it so he could move more freely. "I met him when we were children. Like everyone else, I'd been told he was a monster and to stay away, but..."

"What did he do to counter that?" Sakura asked softly.

"He saved me from some bullies. I was four years old and some of the students of our ninja academy were picking on me. Gaara came over and they ran. He even helped me back to my feet." Rei closed her eyes as she remembered the mixture of guilt and fear her younger self had felt. Fear because this was Gaara after all. Guilt because he'd never done anything to deserve that fear. "Ever since, I've been doing everything in my power to show him he wasn't alone anymore. I don't think I've gotten through to him yet."

"You've made some difference," Naruto said, his voice surprisingly soft and sad. He rarely showed even a hint of his inner pain. "Trust me."

"It just wasn't enough," she replied, looking down at her hands. "I couldn't save him from his anger and madness."

"You love him," Sakura said. It wasn't a question.

Rei nodded. "Yes."

"Look out," Pakkun warned as he jumped away.

They looked up to see a blade of wind was heading their way. Quickly, everyone jumped aside. Sasuke stood to face Temari. Rei let out a small cry and they all saw Gaara. He was standing and part of his body was covered in sand. Somehow it formed the shape of some monster with a claw and sharp teeth. He even had a tail.

"Gaara," Rei cried as she fell to her knees. "It's too late. The madness has taken hold of him."

"We'll save him," Naruto assured her. "I promise you, we'll knock some sense back into him."

"Sakura, watch over Rei," Sasuke ordered as he took a fighting stance. As usual, he was the team's leader. "Naruto, you have more chakra than I do, so you take on Gaara. I'll handle Temari."

Naruto nodded. "Alright. Just be careful, jerk."

"You too, loser."

The two exchanged knowing smirks before turning their attention to the fight at hand. At first everything seemed to be going alright for everyone. But suddenly, Temari glanced over at Gaara and ran away. She knew what was coming now and she didn't want to be anywhere near Gaara when he released that thing inside him.

Sasuke let her go because he was worn out. Between his fight with Gaara and the run here, he didn't have much chakra left from the beginning. He fell to his knees and took deep breaths. He had to get back up. Naruto would need help. And Sakura. He had to protect her at all costs. That was his whole purpose in not allowing Orochimaru to get him. He had to keep her efforts from being in vein, no matter what that meant. So get up, he ordered himself.

"Sasuke, look out!"

He turned and saw the sand claw coming right for him. His tired body wouldn't respond fast enough. Then Sakura was in front of him. Her stance indicating she was going to fight. She knocked away the first attack, only to have another claw hit her from the side. Sasuke watched helplessly as she was slammed into a tree.

"Sakura," Sasuke shouted as he forced himself to his feet again.

She gasped for air and struggled against the sand binding her to the tree. Even though Sakura knew that she should be more concerned about her own well being, she couldn't help but be relieved that Sasuke was alright. Slowly, her vision began to blur as the sand claw crushed her against the tree.

Rei ran over to Sasuke. "Sasuke, Naruto. If you want to save Sakura, you have to stop Gaara. He's subconsciously controlling the sand. Knock him out or make him use up his chakra."

Both boy turned to Gaara. The red-headed sand genin was now fully encased in sand that was shaped into some sort of monster. Naruto clenched his fists. How could they fight a monster? Gaara was so powerful.

"You should just give up," Gaara informed them. "You can't beat me."

Sasuke stepped forward, surprising Naruto. The Uchiha's dark eyes her narrowed and held determination. "I won't back down now. Not while Sakura needs me." Sasuke glanced over at his pink haired teammate before snapping back to Gaara. "I lost everything once. I won't let that happen again."

Naruto's eyes widened before narrowing into a determined glare. "Sasuke, try to get Sakura free. I'll fight Gaara."

The Uchiha looked at Naruto. Seeing the look in Naruto's eyes, he nodded. "Don't lose."

"I won't." Naruto clenched his fists. "I can't afford to lose."

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**That's it. I'm thinking of writing a story that will be a sort of companion piece to this one about Gaara and Rei. Let me know what you think of that idea when you're reviewing this chapter please.**


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